Some areas aren’t produced for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy permits you to really savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up just after midday. The varieties of locations in which locals know how to linger — around coffee, about stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good strategy. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you lastly start to value time up to distance. In any event, much more travelers are locating Pleasure in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is now linked to a further, extra considerate way of observing the earth.
So for those who’re wanting to go sluggish — therefore you’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll across an extended, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s silent. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. And 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 inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via 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 journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically makes a trip last for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure read more in them properly — and that is to state, slowly but surely.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside a dialogue with an individual older, Permit it happen. That’s in which the best vacation tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a perspective. Just about check here every perspective features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time below, and sooner or later, so do you.
On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding 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 unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels additional just like a temper than a destination.
Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all below. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how locations like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it benefits people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it again, seeing one thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the check here south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — within a “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 Component of a preservation undertaking — retaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about get more info it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. However it’s 1 we’re lastly wanting to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.