Some spots aren’t made for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy permits you to certainly savor community tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your individual tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up soon after midday. The types of spots in which locals learn how to linger — above espresso, over tales, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a response to a long time of rushing. Or maybe it’s just what happens when you ultimately begin to benefit time approximately length. In any case, extra vacationers are acquiring joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent years exploring how we connect with culture and area, is a component of that motion. His identify happens to be associated with a further, much more thoughtful means of seeing the earth.
So should you’re ready to go gradual — and you simply’re considering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that practically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A great deal to carry out, that is exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of travel sticks with individuals? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down truly will make a trip final more time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals understand how to appreciate them effectively — that's to mention, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s really worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll come across churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that sense a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain caught within a dialogue with anyone older, Allow it happen. That’s where by the most effective vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner has a see. Every single view includes a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women get their time below, and eventually, so does one.
Looking for far more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish meals and vacation in Italy. Well worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Are living below. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels far more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a latest piece on gradual journey — how spots similar to this provide a distinct style of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nonetheless it rewards those that discover. You wander the loop after which you can stroll it once again, observing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — within a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation job — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, and that is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the matter. You'll be able to see Italy in every week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?
Journey such as this check here — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new notion. But it’s 1 we’re at last prepared to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Go with a village. Sit even now for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.