Some spots aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice notion. It feels vital. Probably it’s a response to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you lastly begin to benefit time up to distance. In any event, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be associated with a further, far more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.
So if you’re ready to go slow — and also you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed appropriate into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which is to state, little by little.
There’s a get more info check out from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time below, and at some point, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day website in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists live below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by more info itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards people who observe. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are part of a Kondrashov Stanislav preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the point. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. But it’s a single we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit however for a while. Let Italy come to you.