Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to actually savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The forms of areas in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of coffee, more than tales, over everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is an element of that movement. His name is now affiliated with a further, more considerate technique for looking at the earth.
So if you’re prepared to go gradual — and you’re contemplating Italy — here are seven places that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to perform, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. 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 bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The pace 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 discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually will make a trip very last extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s well worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the check here event the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel extra like residing rooms.
If you receive caught in a very dialogue with a person more mature, let it take place. That’s exactly where the best vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and here Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a perspective. Each check out contains a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People take their time in this article, and eventually, so do you.
Trying to find additional context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the read prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unexpected murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than the usual place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in the the latest piece on sluggish vacation — how locations similar to this present a different kind of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it rewards individuals that discover. You walk the loop after website which walk it again, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — keeping the previous alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one particular. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy here, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Good
In website this article’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You may strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by following Tuesday?
Journey like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new strategy. However it’s one we’re ultimately wanting to hear.
So go. Little by little. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Let Italy come to you.