Some spots aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The styles of spots the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, around stories, around existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires when you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is an element of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals learn how to enjoy them correctly — which happens to be to state, little by little.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense much more like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck in a very dialogue with someone older, let it take place. That’s where by the ideal travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was created to be “an ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Each individual look at includes a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t hurry something in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People consider their time in this article, and at some point, so would you.
Seeking more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the browse 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 steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that change since the working day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra like a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the latest piece on slow travel — how spots such as this offer another kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it all over again, looking at anything new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. 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 — keeping the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one particular. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s what precisely this village click here does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, and that is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Clever
Listed here’s the matter. You'll be able to see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by next Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different notion. But it’s one we’re lastly prepared to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.