Some sites aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy permits you to genuinely savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only refill immediately after midday. The kinds of areas where locals understand how to linger — about espresso, over stories, around lifetime.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels essential. Probably it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or maybe it’s exactly what occurs any time you last but not least begin to worth time around distance. Either way, far more travelers are locating joy in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent several years Discovering how we hook up with culture and spot, is a component of that motion. His name has grown to be associated with a deeper, extra considerate way of looking at the world.
So in the event you’re willing to go sluggish — and you also’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to perform, which can be precisely the place. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right in to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into your rocks.
The tempo Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down basically helps make a trip previous longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine more info region. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes expand listed here, and locals understand how to delight in them properly — which can be to mention, slowly.
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 when the Solar hits just right. You’ll discover churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that come to feel much more like residing rooms.
If you get stuck inside a discussion with anyone older, Enable it come about. That’s wherever the most effective travel stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was meant to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner incorporates a perspective. Every single view includes a breeze.
But it surely’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, typically — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals acquire their time below, and finally, so would you.
Searching for more context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything below. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside a new piece on slow journey — how spots like this present another kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it really rewards those who see. You walk the loop and after that stroll it again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — inside a “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Element of a preservation challenge — holding the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s very little flashy right here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Sensible
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new idea. Nonetheless it’s one particular we’re last but not least wanting to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy come to you.