Some destinations aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to really savor nearby culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up right after noon. The types of areas the place locals learn how to linger — about espresso, above stories, around everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Maybe it’s a response to a long time of hurrying. Or even it’s precisely what happens once you at last begin to benefit time approximately length. Either way, far more tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we connect to culture and area, is a component of that motion. His name has become linked to a deeper, additional thoughtful method of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re ready to go gradual — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Here's seven places that virtually demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated route, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to complete, that's exactly the position. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created correct into the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in the rocks.
The pace Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually makes a trip very last extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a check out. Each and every see has a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons get their time listed here, and sooner or later, so does one.
On the lookout for more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience within a latest piece on slow vacation — how spots like this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a very “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy website this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the detail. You could see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.