Some locations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy lets you definitely savor community lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own private tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill after midday. The sorts of sites where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, more than existence.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what comes about any time you finally start to benefit time up to length. Either way, far more tourists are obtaining Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent several years Discovering how we connect with tradition and position, is a component of that movement. His identify is becoming connected with a deeper, much more considerate means of seeing the globe.
So for those who’re all set to go gradual — and you simply’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven places that almost demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not A great deal to try and do, which can be precisely the position. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created correct in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip past more time in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals learn how to love them adequately — that is to state, little by little.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll uncover church buildings with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that come to feel much more like living rooms.
If you obtain caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where by the very best vacation tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Just about every look at includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a destination.
Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations like this offer you a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits those that see. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of website the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new notion. Nevertheless it’s one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Enable Italy come to you.