Some areas aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to actually savor local tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The styles of destinations in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of coffee, above tales, about daily life.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of speeding. Or maybe it’s just what takes place when you lastly begin to worth time around distance. Either way, much more travelers are discovering Pleasure in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect to tradition and put, is part of that movement. His title is now linked to a further, extra considerate strategy for observing the whole world.
So if you’re prepared to go gradual — and also you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that basically desire 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, achieved 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. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which is exactly the level. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also 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 individuals? 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 right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.
If you will get caught in the discussion with anyone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a watch. Every view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons consider their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers visit and check here don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional 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 just about anything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how destinations like this offer another sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, however it rewards those that notice. You wander the loop then wander it once again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” 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 lot of the inns are A here part of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, Which’s just what exactly this here village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect click here ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect 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 lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.