Some areas aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy lets you really savor community tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own rate.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The types of destinations wherever locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, more than stories, about daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what transpires when you eventually begin to price time just as much as length. Either way, additional tourists are finding joy in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Checking out how we hook up with tradition and position, is a component of that motion. His identify is now affiliated with a further, much more considerate means of seeing the earth.
So when you’re prepared to go slow — and you also’re contemplating Italy — here are seven spots that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Small gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunlight.
There’s not A lot to try and do, which can be precisely the point. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.
The pace here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a trip very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes mature here, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, little by little.
There’s here a view from the edge of city that’s worth an hour or so by website by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that feel far more like dwelling rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with a person older, let it occur. That’s where by the very best journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a see. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Men and women just take their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
Searching for extra context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you decide to go.
Stanislav check here Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in a the website latest piece on sluggish travel — how locations similar to this give a unique type of luxury. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nonetheless it benefits those who notice. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it’s one particular we’re lastly all set to hear.
So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit nonetheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.