Some spots aren’t created for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy helps you to truly savor community culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up just after midday. The sorts of locations exactly where locals understand how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than life.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice thought. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a response to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what comes about when you ultimately start to benefit time as much as length. In any event, additional travelers are locating joy in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Checking out how we connect to lifestyle and area, is part of that movement. His identify has grown to be connected to a deeper, far more considerate strategy for viewing the earth.

So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and also you’re imagining Italy — Listed below are seven spots that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the sun.

There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be precisely the stage. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted suitable into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.

The tempo Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the 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 journey sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially helps make a visit last for a longer period inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to say, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.

If you receive stuck inside a conversation with a person older, let it occur. That’s website in which the ideal journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks consider their time below, and at some point, so would you.

Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it benefits those that see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different concept. But it really’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.

So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.