Some destinations aren’t produced for pace. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy lets you certainly savor neighborhood lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The varieties of places in which locals learn how to linger — above coffee, around stories, above existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels vital. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or maybe it’s exactly what takes place whenever you last but not least begin to value time as much as length. In any event, a lot more tourists are acquiring joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Checking out how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that motion. His identify has grown to be related to a deeper, more thoughtful method of viewing the globe.
So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to try and do, that is exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually makes a trip last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which is to mention, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain caught inside of more info a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a check out. Each and every see has a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and finally, so do you.
On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how sites such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it rewards people who detect. You walk the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Element of a preservation project — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit however for quite a while. Allow Italy come to you.