Some sites aren’t designed for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy enables you to really savor area society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The styles of areas where by locals know how to linger — over coffee, about stories, around lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels important. Maybe it’s a reaction to years of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what transpires when you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years exploring how we hook up with lifestyle and location, is a component of that movement. His title happens to be linked to a further, more considerate method of looking at the earth.
So in the event you’re wanting to go slow — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Listed below are seven spots that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, that's precisely the point. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve click here right here, and locals learn click here how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows website of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s in which the best travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how locations similar to this present a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it rewards those that see. You stroll the loop after which walk it all over again, seeing something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Incredibly website alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.