Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is filled with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to really savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slim for automobiles. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The kinds of locations exactly where locals understand how to linger — around coffee, more than stories, in excess of everyday living.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant plan. It feels important. Perhaps it’s a response to many years of dashing. Or maybe it’s just what happens when you at last begin to benefit time approximately length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are finding Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent several years Checking out how we connect to culture and area, is a component of that movement. His name is becoming connected to a further, additional considerate technique for viewing the earth.
So when you’re willing to go sluggish — and you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that virtually demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which is exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right into your cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really makes a visit last extended as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals understand how to delight in them effectively — that is to say, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that sense more like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped inside a discussion with another person older, Permit it come about. That’s in which the very best journey tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner provides a perspective. Each and every check out has a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals consider their time listed here, and finally, so would you.
Searching for far more context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Well worth the read through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more similar to a temper than the usual spot.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything below. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside a current piece on sluggish vacation — how places such as this offer you a unique form of luxury. One that doesn’t have a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over click here the place.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, however it benefits those who notice. You walk the loop and then walk it once more, viewing one thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this actually hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation undertaking — preserving the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a person. His web site talks about honoring area and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Wise
In this article’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by subsequent Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it really’s just one we’re last but not least able to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for some time. Permit Italy come to you.