Some spots aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The styles of destinations the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, above life.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs any time you at last start to price time around distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not much to perform, that is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a little 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 rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — and that is to say, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped inside a discussion with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s where by the top journey stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a see. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry here nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.
In search of much more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the examine 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 check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a recent piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give another form of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, observing some thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. website Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this in fact hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the check here Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or check here will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.