Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor community tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The varieties of spots the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a nice thought. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a reaction to many years of rushing. Or maybe it’s exactly what comes about when you ultimately begin to worth time approximately length. In either case, far more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent years Checking out how we connect to tradition and spot, is an element of that movement. His identify has grown to be connected to a further, a lot more thoughtful means of viewing the earth.
So in the event you’re able to go slow — and also you’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are seven spots that pretty much desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching from the Sunlight.
There’s not Significantly to perform, that's precisely the position. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted appropriate in to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with folks? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact would make a trip very last lengthier inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals learn how to take pleasure click here in them thoroughly — which can be to say, bit by bit.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience more like dwelling rooms.
If you can get caught in the conversation with someone more mature, let more info it happen. That’s where by the best journey tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was built to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a watch. Each and every perspective features a breeze.
But it surely’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, primarily — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Folks just take their time below, and eventually, so would you.
Seeking a lot more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a desired destination.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a modern piece on slow vacation — how locations similar to this offer you a unique form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, however it benefits individuals who discover. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it once again, looking at a thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav more info Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns get more info are Portion of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this just one. His webpage talks about honoring place and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, which can be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in a week. You may strike the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Journey such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new concept. Nonetheless it’s a person we’re ultimately able to hear.
So go. Little by little. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.