Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy lets you definitely savor community tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, more travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be linked to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful strategy for looking at the world.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share 7 places that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous lengthier inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Peaceful, check here under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them adequately — which can be to convey, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you obtain caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a see. Every view has a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You received’t rush something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of extra context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through 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 unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets strike different 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 emotion inside of a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations like this offer another type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it rewards those that recognize. You stroll the loop and afterwards stroll it once more, observing a little something new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this essentially hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Component of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the thing. You can see Italy in weekly. You can strike the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new thought. Nevertheless it’s one particular we’re lastly prepared to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.