Some areas aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The varieties of locations where locals learn how to linger — about espresso, about stories, more than life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice idea. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to several years of dashing. Or maybe it’s exactly what occurs if you finally start to value time up to length. In any event, extra travelers are finding joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect to tradition and area, is a component of that motion. His name has grown to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful way of seeing the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re wondering Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not much to accomplish, that's precisely the stage. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.
The tempo Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically can make a visit last extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop listed here, and locals understand how to delight in them properly — that's to mention, little by little.
There’s a look at from the sting of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll obtain churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that really feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you will get caught inside of a dialogue with somebody older, let it come about. That’s where the very best vacation stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a perspective. Every single see has a breeze.
But it really’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for far more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than the usual location.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything listed here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a new piece on gradual travel — how places like this present a special form of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nevertheless it rewards individuals who see. You wander the loop after which you can stroll it once again, observing a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted check here indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — in the “this in fact hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the 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 past alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Good
Below’s the point. You are able to see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by following Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new notion. But it’s 1 we’re last but not least all set to hear.
So go. Little by little. Select a village. Sit still for some time. Allow Italy come to you.