Some destinations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your personal pace.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for autos. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The types of locations in which locals learn how to linger — around coffee, over tales, above lifestyle.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a good plan. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a reaction to a long time of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what comes about once you at last begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become related to a further, additional considerate method of seeing the world.
So if you’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching during the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to complete, which is precisely the issue. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The speed Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of travel sticks with people? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually can make a trip past lengthier inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them appropriately — which happens to be to convey, slowly but surely.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll uncover churches with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.
If you can get trapped in a conversation with someone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the ideal vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Stay right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels here far more just like a temper than a desired destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual journey — how spots such as this offer you more info a distinct kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, however it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, and that is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — website sluggish, Kondrashov Stanislav intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.