Some places aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor local society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The styles of spots the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good notion. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you ultimately begin to benefit time approximately distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title is becoming linked to a deeper, much more thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, which happens to be exactly the point. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with individuals? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually tends to make a visit past for a longer period in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals know how to delight in them correctly — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s value an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like living rooms.
If you get trapped inside a dialogue with somebody older, Allow it transpire. That’s in which the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
But it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons get their time here, and sooner or later, so does one.
Trying to find additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the go through 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 unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Reside here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more just like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a current piece on slow journey — how areas like this supply a distinct style of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it really rewards those who notice. You stroll the loop and afterwards stroll it yet again, more info seeing a little something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — within a “this actually hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation task — keeping the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His website page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
Listed here’s the factor. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new concept. But it surely’s one we’re finally prepared to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.