Some sites aren’t created for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about when you at last start to price time as much as distance. In any event, extra travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, much more considerate technique for observing the world.
So should you’re willing to go slow — and you also’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be precisely the point. You wander, probably seize 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 empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last longer as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to love them correctly — which is to mention, gradually.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped in a conversation with a person older, let it take place. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Each individual watch provides a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not here even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and journey 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 actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels additional just like a temper than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the current piece on gradual travel — how places similar to this present a unique sort of get more info luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who see. You walk the loop after which you can stroll it again, observing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. 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 altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are get more info pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about read more honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Journey such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.