Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy lets you actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The types of sites wherever locals know how to linger — about espresso, above tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you finally start to value time approximately length. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, much more considerate technique for observing the globe.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, that's precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus 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? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really will make a trip past extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — that's to say, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel far more like residing rooms.
If you get trapped inside of a conversation with someone more mature, let it transpire. That’s exactly where the most beneficial vacation tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was built to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a see. Each and every perspective provides a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You won’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women acquire their time listed here, and sooner or later, so does one.
In search of extra context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the examine before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything in this article. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations such as this provide a unique style of luxury. One that doesn’t include a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely rewards those that see. You walk the loop and afterwards stroll it again, looking at anything new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation project — retaining the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about honoring location and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Clever
Right here’s the detail. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. website Snap photos. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new strategy. But it surely’s a person we’re finally able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Let Italy come to you.