Some locations aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy allows you to actually savor local society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The styles of destinations exactly where locals understand how to linger — about coffee, about stories, in excess of everyday living.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or even it’s just what takes place once you lastly start to value time about length. In any case, much more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent a long time Checking out how we connect to culture and location, is an element of that movement. His title has grown to be associated with a deeper, extra considerate strategy for looking at the whole world.
So if you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you simply’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that basically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated route, and once you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not Substantially to accomplish, which is exactly the level. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially would make a visit past longer inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop right here, and locals understand how to delight in them adequately — and that is to state, slowly and gradually.
There’s a look at from the edge of city that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll find churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that website truly feel extra like dwelling read more rooms.
If you get stuck in the conversation with another person more mature, let it transpire. That’s in which the top vacation stories start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was made to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a watch. Just about every watch features a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People take their time right here, and sooner or later, so would you.
In search of much more context on why in this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read through before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unpredicted murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists Are living right here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host more info concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels far more similar to a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They check here paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a recent piece on slow journey — how spots similar to this supply a unique type of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round 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 surely benefits people that detect. You wander the loop then stroll it once more, seeing some thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this really hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation challenge — preserving the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one. His page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
Listed here’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new concept. But it’s a single we’re at last able to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Choose a village. Sit even now for some time. Permit Italy come to you.