Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The varieties of spots in which locals know how to linger — about coffee, about tales, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to value time up to distance. In any event, more travelers are obtaining joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we connect to tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has become related to a further, extra considerate means of viewing the entire world.
So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, which can be precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of 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 learn why that sort of travel sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially would make a trip past extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a discussion with another person more mature, let it occur. That’s wherever the ideal journey stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a perspective. Each and every check out provides read more a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
Seeking more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece click here on gradual vacation — how spots such as this provide a different type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is website really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards individuals that detect. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open 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. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, that's what more info causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow 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. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Enable Italy arrive at you.