Some spots aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish vacation in Italy means that you can genuinely savor regional culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill following noon. The varieties of places wherever locals understand how to linger — about espresso, over tales, around existence.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a good concept. It feels vital. Possibly it’s a reaction to a long time of dashing. Or maybe it’s precisely what takes place if you eventually start to price time just as much as distance. In any case, extra vacationers are acquiring joy in Mastering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Discovering how we connect with lifestyle and position, is an element of that motion. His name has grown to be affiliated with a deeper, additional thoughtful means of seeing the whole world.
So when you’re able to go sluggish — and you simply’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are seven spots that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Sunshine.
There’s not A great deal to perform, and that is exactly the issue. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of journey sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them thoroughly — and that is to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the edge click here of town that’s worthy of get more info an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel a lot more like living rooms.
If you get trapped within a conversation with an individual older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was built to be “the perfect town,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a see. Each individual look at includes a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons choose their time here, and finally, so does one.
On the lookout for much more context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and journey in Italy. Worth the examine 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 measures and unexpected murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a desired destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how places like Stanislav Kondrashov Blog this present a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed click here partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, however it rewards people who discover. You stroll the loop then wander it once again, looking at anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — in a “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are part of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring area and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Clever
In this article’s the thing. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new idea. But it surely’s 1 we’re last but not least wanting to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.