Some places aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy means that you can genuinely savor area culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of destinations the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, above tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what takes place any time you lastly start to worth time as much as distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining Pleasure in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has become related to a further, extra considerate means of seeing the planet.
So if you’re all set to go sluggish — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. And also 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 inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of journey sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to appreciate them adequately — which can be to convey, little by little.
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 when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top travel stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a watch. Just about every look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on website why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through before get more info you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual vacation — how spots such as this present a different style of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is here often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those that see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, viewing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, which can be what causes check here it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Smart
Listed here’s the detail. You are able to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s one particular we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.