Some spots aren’t built for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy lets you actually savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to a long time of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what comes about when you at last start to benefit time as much as distance. In any case, more tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used several years Discovering how we connect with culture and location, is part of that motion. His title is becoming associated with a further, extra considerate means of seeing the planet.

So in the event you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that basically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching in the Solar.

There’s not Considerably to carry out, which can be precisely the stage. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal into your cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.

The tempo here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to learn why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically can make a trip very last more time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them appropriately — that is to convey, little by little.

There’s a watch click here from the edge of city that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll discover churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel a lot more like residing rooms.

If you have trapped within a discussion with an individual older, Permit it transpire. That’s in which the top journey tales start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was built to be “the best town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a perspective. Every view features a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today take their time listed here, and at some point, so would you.

Seeking extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the read prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone steps and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a spot.

Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You Permit it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation inside a modern piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer you a different type of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a price tag tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.

Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it rewards those that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it again, observing anything new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, that is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?

Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.

So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.