Some sites aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor nearby tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill following midday. The forms of destinations wherever locals learn how to linger — above espresso, about stories, around existence.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a pleasant thought. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or even it’s just what transpires whenever you eventually begin to benefit time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His name has become connected with a further, extra considerate means of seeing the entire world.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — here are 7 places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not much to accomplish, which happens to be precisely the issue. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to appreciate them thoroughly — which can be to convey, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel much more like living rooms.
If you will get caught inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the top travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a see. Each perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals acquire their time right here, and finally, so do you.
Seeking more context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff 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 city with stone steps website and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a recent piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a special style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop after which stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Good
In this article’s the point. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s a person we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.