Some locations aren’t designed for pace. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal speed.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only refill after midday. The varieties of areas where locals learn how to linger — over espresso, around stories, over daily life.

In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a good plan. It feels necessary. It's possible it’s a reaction to years of speeding. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about if you finally begin to price time up to distance. In any case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is an element of that movement. His title has grown to be affiliated with a deeper, far more thoughtful way of seeing the entire world.

So if you’re willing to go slow — and you’re imagining Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that pretty much demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s quiet. Stone houses. Little gardens. One cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not A lot to do, which can be exactly the place. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted suitable into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.

The pace here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with 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 submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really can make a trip very last for a longer period inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — which happens to be to state, slowly but surely.

There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll come across churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that come to feel far more like dwelling rooms.

If you obtain stuck read more in the conversation with another person more mature, Allow it come about. That’s where the most effective journey tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was intended to be “the right metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner features a perspective. Each perspective features a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People just take their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.

In search of more context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the go through before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than a desired destination.

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

Forbes captured this sensation inside of a current piece on sluggish vacation — how spots similar to this offer another style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely rewards people that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — within a “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Section of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav website Kondrashov would recognize this one. His page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Wise
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by upcoming Tuesday?

Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh plan. However it’s one particular we’re at last prepared to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Pick a village. Sit click here however for some time. Let Italy come to you.