Some sites aren’t made for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for autos. Cafés that only fill up immediately after noon. The sorts of sites in which locals understand how to linger — around coffee, above tales, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels important. It's possible it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what transpires once you ultimately start to price time approximately length. In any case, a lot more tourists are getting Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent yrs Checking out how we hook up with culture and spot, is part of that motion. His identify has become connected with a further, extra considerate technique for seeing the globe.
So if you’re able to go gradual — and also you’re imagining Italy — here are seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated path, and once you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Significantly to do, that is exactly the position. You wander, probably seize 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 total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built right in the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of vacation sticks with persons? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically will make a visit last longer with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — and that is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the sting of city that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of click here vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll locate churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that truly feel much more like residing rooms.
If you get caught inside of a discussion with someone older, Permit it occur. That’s where by the most beneficial travel stories get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a watch. Just about every view features a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why in this manner of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study 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 town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Stay listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels additional like a mood than the usual spot.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience within a modern piece on gradual vacation — how areas like this give another style of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it benefits individuals who observe. You stroll the loop then stroll it again, viewing something new every time — a cat website over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this really hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation project — holding the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this just one. His site talks about honoring more info put and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Clever
Right here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You'll be able to strike check here the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. Nevertheless it’s one we’re lastly willing to hear.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.