Some areas aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The varieties of spots in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, over stories, over existence.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to value time up to length. In any case, more travelers are locating joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be associated with a further, extra considerate means of viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, which can be precisely the point. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper 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 during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip past extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where by the very best journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the perfect city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a view. Each see features a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely get more info — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take 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 methods and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on gradual journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for more info attention, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. click here There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, read more grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new thought. However it’s a person we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.