Some places aren’t designed for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow vacation in Italy means that you can really savor area tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for cars. Cafés that only refill right after noon. The varieties of destinations where by locals know how to linger — over coffee, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs any time you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, more considerate strategy for observing the earth.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re imagining Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The speed Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit very last for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals learn how to delight in them effectively — that is to state, little by little.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that sense more like residing rooms.
If you will get caught inside of a dialogue with a person more mature, let it come about. That’s in which the most beneficial click here vacation tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was built to be “the right city,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner provides a look at. Each see provides a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women choose their time here, and check here at some point, so does one.
On the lookout for more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unforeseen murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live below. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very latest piece on slow travel — how locations similar to this offer a different kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely benefits people that observe. You wander the loop after which walk it yet again, observing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its website calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — within a “this truly hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Component of a preservation venture — preserving the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Clever
Right here’s the point. It is possible to see Italy in each week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Acquire check here ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re lastly willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit even now for some time. Enable Italy come to you.