Some destinations aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy enables you to certainly savor nearby tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own pace.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for autos. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The sorts of places wherever locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, above tales, more than lifestyle.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs any time you lastly start to worth time just as much as length. In either case, a lot more travelers are discovering Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Discovering how we connect with lifestyle and put, is part of that motion. His identify has become related to a further, far more considerate technique for seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re willing to go gradual — and you’re thinking Italy — Listed below are seven places that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially would make a trip past for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase below, more info and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to say, little by little.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll find churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that really feel extra like living rooms.
If you can get website trapped within a conversation with somebody older, Permit it materialize. That’s in which the most beneficial journey tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was built to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner includes a look at. Each individual see contains a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women acquire their time here, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for much more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and journey in Italy. Worth the browse before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists live below. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a spot.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling within a the latest piece on slow travel — how destinations similar to this present another style of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it really rewards those that see. You wander the loop and then walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open website up door, a hand-painted sign pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this really hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are part of a preservation challenge — trying to keep the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a person. His webpage talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy below, that is what makes it read more unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the matter. You are able to see Italy in weekly. You may strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you ignore it by next Tuesday?
Vacation like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh idea. However it’s just one we’re finally ready to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy come to you.