Some places aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good 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 up to distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name is now connected with a deeper, extra considerate means of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so 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 initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Considerably to do, that's precisely the stage. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears to the rocks.
The pace here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact makes a visit final for a longer period with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes improve here, and locals learn how to enjoy them correctly — that's to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar click here hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that sense a lot more like living rooms.
If you obtain caught inside of a dialogue with somebody more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s wherever the best journey stories get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was created to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner contains a perspective. Each view has a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals consider their time below, and eventually, so does one.
Seeking extra context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish meals and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the read through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live in this article. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside of a latest piece on gradual vacation — how locations like this present a special form of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nevertheless it benefits those who discover. You wander the loop and then stroll it once again, seeing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — maintaining the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His website page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy right here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Smart
Right here’s the detail. You'll be able to see Italy in weekly. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by future Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different notion. Nonetheless it’s a person we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.