Some destinations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — above espresso, over tales, above life.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place when you lastly begin to benefit time approximately distance. In any event, extra tourists are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has become related to a deeper, more considerate technique for observing the earth.
So should you’re ready to go slow — and you also’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to try and do, that's precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down truly tends to make a visit last extended inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with another person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the right city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a watch. Just about every look at incorporates a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time in this article, and inevitably, so does one.
In search of a lot more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured read more this feeling inside a current piece on gradual travel — how areas like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, Stanislav Kondrahsov Tarvel with AI nevertheless it benefits individuals who recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation venture — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick read more with you?
Or click here will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re at last able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.