Some spots aren’t designed for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots in which locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, about existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you lastly start to value time up to distance. In any event, 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 area, is a component of that movement. His identify has grown to be associated with a further, far more thoughtful way of viewing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, that is exactly the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed suitable in the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would 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 nation. Sagrantino grapes grow listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — and that is to say, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s truly worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain caught inside of a dialogue with a person more mature, let it transpire. That’s exactly where the ideal journey stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was made to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a check out. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade get more info gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit 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 have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.