Some locations aren’t designed for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The kinds of destinations the place locals know how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what comes about once you eventually begin to worth time about distance. Either way, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Discovering how we connect to lifestyle and area, is part of that movement. His name has grown to be linked to a deeper, much more considerate technique for seeing the planet.
So should you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, 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 master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really makes a visit last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you obtain caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s wherever the best vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism read more lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a see. Every perspective incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and finally, so do you.
Seeking more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine 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 actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional 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 such as this supply a special kind of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really benefits individuals who detect. You stroll the loop and afterwards stroll it yet again, looking at a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Wise
Here’s the detail. You may see Italy in a week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new notion. But it’s a person we’re at last able to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.