Some destinations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy allows you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where by locals understand how to linger — over espresso, in excess of tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you eventually begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with culture and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to do, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed suitable in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down essentially can make a visit previous for a longer time in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to state, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you can get trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where by the very best vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner includes a perspective. Every single view incorporates a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. website It feels additional just like a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything listed here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the the latest piece on gradual vacation — how places similar to this provide another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nonetheless it rewards those who recognize. You wander the loop and afterwards stroll it once more, observing anything new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation task — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Sensible
In this article’s the point. You are able to see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by future Tuesday?
Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh thought. But it really’s one particular we’re eventually prepared to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Choose a village. Sit still for quite a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.