Some places aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy allows you to really savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The types of sites wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you lastly start to worth time up to distance. In any case, more travelers are discovering joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that movement. His name has become linked to a deeper, much more considerate strategy for observing the globe.
So in case you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not A lot to accomplish, which can be precisely the place. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last more time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped inside of a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most beneficial vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner provides a check out. Each and every see has a breeze.
But it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t rush something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and eventually, so do you.
On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation within a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give a unique type of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, observing one thing new every time — a cat on the 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. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting get more info friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nevertheless it’s one we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.