Some places aren’t designed for speed. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy allows you to certainly savor local society, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The sorts of destinations exactly where locals understand how to linger — over espresso, around tales, in excess of lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Maybe it’s a reaction to several years of hurrying. Or possibly it’s just what occurs when you finally start to benefit time approximately distance. In any case, additional travelers are obtaining Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across a long, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. One cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to perform, that is exactly the place. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in to the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of journey sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually will make a trip previous for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to delight in them correctly — which can be to say, bit by bit.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s truly worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience a lot more like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain stuck inside a conversation with an individual more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the best journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was designed to be “an ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a check out. Each and every perspective incorporates a breeze.
But it really’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons consider their time listed here, and eventually, so does one.
On the lookout for far more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and journey in Italy. Worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists live below. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience in the recent piece on gradual journey — how locations like click here this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits those that see. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation job — maintaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s a person we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.