Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy enables you to actually savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The types of sites wherever locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, about existence.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name is now connected with a deeper, far more thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So should you’re able to go gradual — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here i will discuss 7 places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Small gardens. A single cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. 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 Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a trip past extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional more info like dwelling rooms.
If you can get trapped inside a conversation with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the best vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the best metropolis,” more info and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a check out. Each and every see features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time here, and eventually, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels much more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a current piece on slow journey — how spots like this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, read more cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, viewing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns read more are Element of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.