Some areas aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The kinds of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, around stories, in excess of existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires whenever you eventually begin to value time approximately length. In any event, more travelers are locating joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we hook up with society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go slow — and you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, which can be exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If 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 correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit very last more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with an individual more mature, Allow it come about. That’s where by the very best travel tales start out.
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 provides a watch. Just about every look at incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, typically — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for extra context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and travel in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding to check here go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a 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 more info in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this give a unique form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it rewards people who recognize. You wander the loop then stroll it again, seeing some thing new each 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 exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of Stanislav Kondrashov Blog a “hidden gem” way — within a “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Journey like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re at last willing read more to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.