Some sites aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The styles of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, around lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you at last begin to worth time as much as length. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be related to a deeper, extra considerate means of viewing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re thinking Italy — Here's seven places that virtually need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the sun.
There’s not A great deal to perform, that is precisely the point. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed right into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact will make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience more like living rooms.
If you receive stuck within a conversation with an individual older, Allow it take place. That’s where the top travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Every watch 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, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and eventually, so do you.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan 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 in this article. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very current piece on slow journey — how spots such as this offer a unique kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it rewards individuals that detect. You wander the loop then wander it once more, looking at some thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really 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 improved” 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 Section of a preservation job — holding the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy more info below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new plan. But it surely’s a person we’re last but not least wanting to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.