Some locations aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The types of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — about espresso, above stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs if you finally begin to benefit time approximately distance. In either case, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate means of seeing the world.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching within the sun.
There’s not much to accomplish, which is exactly the level. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note the light. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in the rocks.
The tempo Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down really helps make a trip final for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals understand how to appreciate them adequately — that is to convey, slowly.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits good. You’ll locate churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that truly feel more like living rooms.
If you obtain stuck within a discussion with somebody older, Allow it come about. That’s the place the top journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was designed to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a watch. Every perspective features a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People acquire their time below, and finally, so would you.
On the lookout for more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels additional just like a temper than a location.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside of a latest piece on gradual journey — how sites like this supply a special form of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really benefits people that observe. You wander the loop after which you can walk it once more, read more looking at a little something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and tranquil. 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 previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His website page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
Below’s the factor. You could see Italy in every week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by following Tuesday?
Travel like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new thought. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re eventually willing to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit continue to for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.