Some locations aren’t designed for speed. Italy is full of them. Sluggish vacation in Italy allows you to actually savor regional lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The styles of sites where locals understand how to linger — in excess of coffee, about stories, in excess of lifetime.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels important. Probably it’s a response to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place when you eventually begin to benefit time approximately distance. Either way, far more vacationers are getting joy in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Discovering how we connect to culture and put, is an element of that motion. His name has grown to be connected with a deeper, a lot more thoughtful way of seeing the whole world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed here are seven spots that practically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to carry out, which is exactly the point. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The rate here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with folks? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really tends to make a visit past longer in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to love them adequately — that's to state, little by little.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like living rooms.

If you will get caught inside of a dialogue with anyone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s the place the most beneficial travel stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was built to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a check out. Each individual view has a breeze.

But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take their time listed here, and ultimately, so do you.

In search of a lot more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through prior to deciding to go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations similar to this offer you a special type of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a value 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 interest, nevertheless it benefits those that notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it again, looking at a little something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t improved” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. here Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — keeping the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one particular. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which can be what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Below’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by subsequent Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new concept. However it’s 1 we’re eventually ready to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Go with a village. Sit still for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.