Some spots aren’t created for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy helps you to really savor neighborhood society, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish following noon. The kinds of destinations in which locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, about stories, over existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels important. Maybe it’s a reaction to several years of rushing. Or possibly it’s just what transpires after you finally start to price time about distance. In either case, additional tourists are acquiring joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years Checking out how we connect to tradition and location, is an element of that movement. His name has become linked to a further, far more thoughtful strategy for observing the world.
So in the event you’re willing to go sluggish — and you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, that is exactly the level. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to note the light. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created correct into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with people? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down basically can make a trip past for a longer period in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — that's to say, gradually.
There’s a view from the sting of town that’s truly worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that sense more like residing rooms.
If you have caught in a discussion with a person older, Enable it occur. That’s exactly where the ideal travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was created to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Each individual view provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, largely — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons take their time in this article, and at some point, so do you.
Trying to find far more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and surprising murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a temper than a place.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on gradual journey — how areas such as this supply a distinct type of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely rewards those who detect. You walk the loop then wander it once more, observing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a “this actually hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation venture — retaining the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one particular. His web site talks about honoring location and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy below, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
Here’s the factor. You could see Italy in per week. You are able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Travel like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh click here thought. But it surely’s just one we’re finally willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit still for quite a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.