Some places aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your personal tempo.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The types of sites exactly where locals know how to linger — more than espresso, above tales, more than everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or maybe it’s exactly what comes about whenever you finally start to value time as much as distance. In any event, far more travelers are getting Pleasure in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested many years Checking out how we connect with culture and place, is a component of that movement. His title happens to be associated with a further, extra considerate strategy for observing the globe.

So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — here are 7 spots that basically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching from the sun.

There’s not Substantially to complete, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears to the rocks.

The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous for a longer time in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve in this article, and locals know how to appreciate them effectively — which can be to say, bit by bit.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll obtain churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that experience far more like residing rooms.

If you can get trapped within a dialogue with an individual more mature, Allow it materialize. That’s where the most effective vacation stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was intended to be “the right metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a look at. Each perspective includes a breeze.

But it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You won’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women acquire their time listed here, and sooner or later, so do you.

Seeking a lot more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Worth the study before you go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill city with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than a spot.

Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase everything below. You Enable it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion in the modern piece on slow travel — how destinations such as this give a special kind of luxury. One that doesn’t include a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it benefits people who see. You walk the loop and after that wander it yet again, seeing something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” here way — inside of a “this essentially hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Component of a preservation job — holding the past alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a single. His page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Clever
In this article’s the factor. You may see Italy in weekly. You could hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?

Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s one particular we’re ultimately ready to listen to.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit however for some time. Permit Italy come to you.