Some spots aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The varieties of areas in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs any time you finally start to value time up to distance. In any event, additional travelers are getting Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate strategy for viewing the entire world.
So should you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a trip very last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals understand how to take pleasure check here in them thoroughly — that's to say, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s really worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunlight hits good. You’ll uncover churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel additional like residing rooms.
If you get trapped inside of a conversation with somebody older, Permit it come about. That’s where by the very best vacation tales begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was created to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Each view provides a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, largely — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today just take their time here, and ultimately, so does one.
Looking for much more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how locations similar to this present a unique sort of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. get more info It doesn’t shout for attention, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on read more the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new idea. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re at last able to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit however for quite a read more while. Let Italy come to you.