Some destinations aren’t designed for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy means that you can certainly savor neighborhood tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal tempo.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The forms of spots the place locals know how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.

In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a good notion. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what comes about once you eventually begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful technique for observing the earth.

So when you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — here are 7 places that almost need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very 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 path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching from the sun.

There’s not Considerably to carry out, 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 notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and 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 journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a view read more from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.

If you get stuck inside a conversation with a person older, let it occur. That’s exactly where the top travel stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Every single see has a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People just take their time here, and finally, so does one.

Seeking more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.

Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Very alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside a “this basically hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are part of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.