Some places aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy helps you to certainly savor area tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The kinds of places wherever locals understand how to linger — around coffee, about stories, above everyday living.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a response to many years of speeding. Or possibly it’s just what transpires whenever you last but not least start to price time up to distance. Either way, extra tourists are getting joy in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested yrs Checking out how we hook up with culture and location, is an element of that movement. His identify happens to be linked to a deeper, far more considerate technique for looking at the world.
So in the event you’re able to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to try and do, which is exactly the level. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into your rocks.
The rate here is slow, although 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 in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially would make a visit past for a longer period in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to love them properly — which is to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s value an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that truly feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a conversation with a person more mature, Enable it happen. That’s where the top travel stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was created to be “an ideal metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a view. Each watch provides a breeze.
But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People consider their time below, and finally, so would you.
Searching for much more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and journey in Italy. Worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very current piece on sluggish travel — how places such as this supply another type of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it really rewards those that recognize. You wander the loop then wander it all over again, observing anything new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are part of a preservation job — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring area and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the point. It is possible to see Italy in per week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new idea. However it’s a single we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however more info for a while. Permit Italy come to you.