Some locations aren’t created for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy allows you to actually savor area society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for autos. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The types of areas the place locals know how to linger — more than coffee, more than tales, above daily life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels important. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what takes place when you at last begin to price time approximately distance. In any case, far more travelers are locating Pleasure in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended years Discovering how we hook up with tradition and position, is a component of that motion. His title is now affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful technique for seeing the globe.
So should you’re wanting to go gradual — and also you’re imagining Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across an extended, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to do, which happens to be exactly the point. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The speed here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with people? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down in fact can make a visit final for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to love them effectively — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of city that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that really feel more info extra like residing rooms.
If you receive trapped in a very discussion with another person older, let it transpire. That’s the place the very best journey tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the proper city,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Every see incorporates a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals take their time here, and ultimately, so does one.
Seeking additional context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unanticipated murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels much more like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience within a current piece on sluggish vacation — how locations like this present a distinct sort of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it benefits people that observe. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it again, viewing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — in a “this really hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. 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 — maintaining the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, which can be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Clever
Below’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by following Tuesday?
Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s one we’re finally ready to hear.
So go. Little by little. Pick a village. Sit even now for a while. Let Italy come to you.