Some places aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy enables you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The varieties of spots the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional considerate means of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Considerably to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable in 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 in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that truly feel additional like residing rooms.
If you receive trapped in a very dialogue with a person older, let it come about. That’s where by the very best travel tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a perspective. Each individual see features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks just take their time here, and eventually, so does one.
Seeking more context here on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than a place.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on slow vacation — how places such as this supply a special form of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nevertheless it benefits those that observe. You walk the loop and afterwards wander it all over again, looking at a little click here something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — in a very “this truly hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part click here of a preservation venture — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Smart
In this article’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in every week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. read more But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by subsequent Tuesday?
Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different concept. But it surely’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.