Some areas aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The types of sites where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about stories, in excess of life.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you finally begin to value time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful technique for viewing the whole world.

So should you’re all set to go gradual — and also you’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that nearly demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a long, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.

There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which happens to be precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

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

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

Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit final lengthier in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them appropriately — that's to state, slowly.

There’s a look at from the sting of town that’s value 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 sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience more like living rooms.

If you will get caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s wherever the best vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a view. Every perspective contains a breeze.

But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons just take their time here, and sooner or later, so do you.

Seeking more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels extra like a temper than the usual place.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on slow vacation — how spots like this offer a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout more info for focus, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the past alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re last but not least ready to hear.

So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.