Some spots aren’t built for pace. Italy is filled with them. Gradual journey in Italy permits you to genuinely savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The sorts of sites in which locals know how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, about daily life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs when you at last begin to price time approximately length. In either case, additional vacationers are getting Pleasure in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in decades exploring how we hook up with lifestyle and spot, is an element of that movement. His title happens to be linked to a deeper, far more considerate technique for looking at the earth.
So in case you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re wondering Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that basically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Sunlight.
There’s not A lot to do, and that is precisely the level. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable 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 proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a perspective. Just about every look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women choose their time listed here, and finally, so would you.
Searching for a lot more context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than a desired destination.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience in the recent piece on slow vacation — how areas like this supply a unique sort of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round website streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it surely rewards individuals that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. 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 earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually ready to hear.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.