Some places aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy allows you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish following midday. The kinds of sites wherever locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, about daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to benefit time around length. In any event, more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re considering 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 over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, which can be exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate in the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by means 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 understand why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a visit final lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals know how to delight in them read more effectively — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience much more like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck in the discussion with another person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner incorporates a watch. Each individual perspective incorporates a breeze.
But it surely’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in shop Home 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 inevitably, so would you.
Trying to find more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade more info sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in the modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price 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 focus, however it rewards individuals who recognize. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t changed” 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 project — retaining website the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this just one. His web site talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Wise
Listed here’s the point. You'll be website able to see Italy in weekly. You could strike the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it really’s just one we’re lastly able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Let Italy come to you.