Some areas aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The varieties of areas where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any event, more tourists are discovering joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to society and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become related to a further, a lot more thoughtful way of looking at the planet.
So should you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — here are 7 spots that pretty much need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout an extended, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, which is exactly the level. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
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 developed ideal in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact tends to make a visit last extended as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals understand how to delight in them adequately — which can be to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s where the most effective travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a watch. Every single check out features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this give a unique type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it surely rewards people that discover. You stroll the loop after which stroll it again, observing 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 spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during 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 task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
Here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather 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 brand new strategy. Nevertheless it’s one we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. get more info Let Italy come to you.