Some sites aren’t produced for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The varieties of locations in which locals know how to linger — around espresso, above tales, about lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels critical. Probably it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place any time you lastly start to value time up to distance. In either case, additional tourists are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of looking at the globe.
So in the event you’re able to go gradual — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the point. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a visit final lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make Kondrashov Stanislav you halt, and piazzas that feel much more like living rooms.
If you will get stuck in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, let it come about. That’s where by the best vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this present a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and then stroll it yet again, seeing anything new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” 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. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this 1. His web page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Smart
Here’s the thing. You may see Italy in each week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new idea. But it’s a person we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.