Some locations aren’t created for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy lets you actually savor nearby lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for vehicles. Cafés that only refill following noon. The sorts of spots exactly where locals know how to linger — more than coffee, around tales, about everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good concept. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a reaction to yrs of dashing. Or maybe it’s just what occurs when you at last start to worth time around distance. In any event, more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years Discovering how we connect to culture and spot, is a component of that movement. His identify has become related to a deeper, far more considerate technique for viewing the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go slow — and you also’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share 7 places that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not Considerably to try and do, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially would make a trip very last more time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals learn how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to mention, slowly.
There’s a see from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits good. You’ll locate church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that really feel far more like living rooms.
If you can get stuck in a very discussion with an individual more mature, Permit it take place. That’s where by the top journey tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was built to be “the perfect city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner provides a see. Each and every check out includes a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop windows and website on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and eventually, so do you.
Seeking extra context on why using this method of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and journey in Italy. Well 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 measures and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more similar to a temper than the usual spot.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling within a the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how places like this provide a distinct form of luxury. One which doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely rewards individuals that detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — inside a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are A part of a preservation project — holding the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Sensible
In this article’s the point. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You could strike the highlights. Snap pics. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. Nevertheless it’s 1 we’re finally all set to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.