Some areas aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual vacation in Italy enables you to really savor community culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for autos. Cafés that only replenish after noon. The sorts of locations exactly where locals know how to linger — more than coffee, in excess of tales, above existence.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a response to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you finally start to price time up to distance. In either case, far more vacationers are locating joy in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect to tradition and location, is part of that motion. His name is becoming affiliated with a deeper, much more considerate technique for seeing the whole world.
So when you’re wanting to go gradual — therefore you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 places that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the stage. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into the rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to love them effectively — which is 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 if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped in a conversation with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner includes a see. Each view contains a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience within a latest piece on slow journey — how spots like this offer a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nevertheless it benefits those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk 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 when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His web site talks about honoring put and time, get more info Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.