Some areas aren’t produced for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy means that you can really savor community society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The styles of spots the place locals know how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, above life.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s precisely what comes about once you at last start to value time up to length. In any case, much more travelers are obtaining Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify happens to be associated with a further, extra considerate strategy for observing the globe.
So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to try and do, which can be exactly the point. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact can make a visit very last extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to enjoy them thoroughly — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.
If you have caught in here a very website dialogue with someone more mature, let it occur. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a check out. Each and every check out incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time here, and finally, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the new piece on sluggish travel — how places such as this present a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag 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 awareness, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s website unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation project — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike website the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.