Some places aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. 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 occurs when you last but not least start to price time as much as distance. In either case, extra tourists are finding joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title has become linked to a deeper, much more considerate means of observing the globe.
So if you’re willing to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — here are 7 spots that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to perform, that's precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your 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, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip past more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals know how to love them properly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that really feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain caught inside of a dialogue with a person older, Allow it come about. That’s where by the very best journey tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the right city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner contains a look at. Just about every watch provides a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. Stanislav Kondrashov Blog You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Folks consider their time below, and at some point, so would you.
Trying to find extra context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase everything below. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on gradual travel — how destinations such as this give a unique style of luxury. One that doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It check here doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely benefits those who discover. You stroll the loop and afterwards wander it once again, looking at a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav website Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this really hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The click here air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. However it’s a person we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for quite a while. Let Italy arrive at you.