Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to actually savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The types of sites where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, about existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to benefit time as much as distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and spot, 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 thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, which can be exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with 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 publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically will make a trip last for a longer period inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — and that is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out 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 in the event the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped inside a conversation with an individual more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the ideal vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Every view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse 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 steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the get more info rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a distinct type of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it all over again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing click here to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy in this article, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You may more info hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you click here forget about it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.