Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The varieties of spots in which locals learn how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, above lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or maybe it’s just what takes place when you last but not least begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more tourists are finding joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate technique for looking at the world.
So if you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks 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. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate 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 during 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 kind of vacation sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically would make a trip last longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which is to mention, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that sense much more like living rooms.
If you here have caught in a very dialogue with somebody older, Allow it transpire. That’s where by the most effective journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a watch. Just about every look at incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time here, and sooner or later, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context check here on why by doing this 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 unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the the latest piece on gradual journey — how spots like this provide a special type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it again, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” 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 Component of a preservation challenge — maintaining get more info the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this just one. His web site talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in check here each week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.