Some areas aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill following midday. The styles of areas in which locals know how to linger — more than coffee, about stories, about daily life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels vital. Probably it’s a response to years of rushing. Or possibly it’s precisely what takes place once you at last begin to price time around length. In any case, extra tourists are obtaining Pleasure in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in years Checking out how we connect to tradition and put, is an element of that motion. His title has become linked to a deeper, extra considerate method of observing the earth.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and any time you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching within the Solar.
There’s not A lot to carry out, and that is exactly the position. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, along with 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 travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically makes a visit final for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals know how to enjoy them thoroughly — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s value an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll find churches with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you can get trapped inside a discussion with anyone older, Allow it take place. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was built to be “the perfect metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner contains a see. Every single see includes a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older more info in shop windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today acquire their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how destinations such as this provide another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards individuals that detect. You wander the loop then wander it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t modified” 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 lot of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.