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

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The kinds of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than stories, around existence.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you finally start to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, a lot more thoughtful technique for looking at the earth.

So when you’re willing to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.

There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.

The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding through 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 vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a trip past extended within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — and that is to say, bit by bit.

There’s a view from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel far more like residing rooms.

If you will get caught in the discussion with another person older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Each individual look at incorporates a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, read more not even purchasing lunch. People just take their time here, and finally, so does one.

Trying to find extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it rewards individuals that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. But it’s just one we’re lastly all set to hear.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.