Some spots aren’t produced for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The styles of destinations the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, above tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you last but not least start to worth time up to distance. In any event, much more travelers are acquiring Pleasure in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested years exploring how we connect with tradition and place, is an element of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Little gardens. One cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not Considerably to carry out, and that is precisely the level. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a discussion with more info an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a watch. Just about every look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, 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 stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the read through 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 techniques and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a recent piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this give a unique sort of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a website hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. read more There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will click here it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s a single we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.