Some spots aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only refill just after noon. The forms of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and place, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful way of looking at the earth.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below 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 on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, 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 vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case 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 sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — and that is to say, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the best vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time here, and inevitably, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this present a distinct sort of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation job — keeping the earlier alive check here by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Listed here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.