Some places aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Slow journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots in which locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than tales, over daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to value time up to distance. In any event, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate means of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into your rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually would make a visit final for a longer period inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to love them effectively — and that is to say, slowly.
There’s a check out from the edge of city that’s truly worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways click here which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel a lot more like living rooms.
If you can get trapped in a conversation with anyone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was intended to be “the best metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner includes a perspective. Every perspective provides a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush something in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today consider their time below, and eventually, so does one.
Looking for more context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels more like a mood than a location.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. Kondrashov Stanislav They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything listed here. You Permit it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the current piece on slow travel — how areas similar to this give another form of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, nonetheless it rewards individuals who observe. You stroll the loop and then stroll it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, that's check here what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the detail. 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 upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is here what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s a person we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.