Some areas aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, about stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you at last begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more tourists are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name is now linked to a deeper, much more considerate technique for observing the earth.
So when you’re willing to go slow — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, which can be precisely the level. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built suitable in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The pace Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually helps make a visit very last more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals learn how to delight in them effectively — and that is to say, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a discussion with somebody more mature, Allow it happen. That’s in which the best vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was created to be “the best metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a perspective. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People just take their time below, and sooner or later, so would you.
Looking for far more context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and travel in Italy. Worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists live listed here. Writers go to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this present a unique sort of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at anything new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo website Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are A part of a preservation challenge — retaining the past alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a single. His website page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new plan. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit however for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.