Some places aren’t made for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The styles of areas wherever locals know how to linger — over coffee, in excess of tales, about life.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a pleasant plan. It feels important. Maybe it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or even it’s precisely what transpires once you lastly begin to value time about length. In either case, much more travelers are finding Pleasure in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested yrs Checking out how we hook up with tradition and put, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be associated with a further, extra considerate technique for observing the world.
So should you’re willing to go sluggish — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Here's seven places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not much to carry out, that's exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with people today? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down essentially can make a trip very last for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them appropriately — that's to say, slowly.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s value an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll find church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel a lot more like dwelling rooms.
If you can get stuck in a very discussion with somebody more mature, Allow it take place. That’s wherever the top journey stories get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was meant to be “the proper city,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner has a look at. Every see provides a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells incredible. check here Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, able to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks acquire their time below, and ultimately, so does one.
On the lookout for far more context on why using this method of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone steps and unexpected murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more just like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a the latest piece on gradual travel — how places such as this offer you a unique type of luxury. One that doesn’t include a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it benefits individuals that recognize. You stroll the loop then stroll it all over again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation job — retaining the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a single. His web site talks about honoring area and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You are able to see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re finally able to hear.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Permit Italy come to you.