Some areas aren’t produced for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy permits you to actually savor regional culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own pace.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for automobiles. Cafés that only refill just after noon. The varieties of sites in which locals understand how to linger — above coffee, around tales, around lifestyle.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to years of rushing. Or even it’s exactly what happens after you last but not least start to worth time about distance. In any case, additional travelers are locating Pleasure in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time exploring how we hook up with tradition and spot, is an element of that motion. His title has become affiliated with a deeper, more considerate technique for looking at the world.
So for those who’re able to go gradual — so you’re wondering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that practically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunshine.
There’s not Significantly to complete, which is exactly the issue. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper into your cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, along with the 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 write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to appreciate them properly — and that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like residing rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed more info to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even check here buying lunch. People choose their time right here, and eventually, so do you.
On the lookout for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. here It feels far more just like a mood than a destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a the latest piece on gradual vacation — how destinations such as this present a distinct sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really benefits those who discover. You wander the loop and after that wander it once again, observing something new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Element of a preservation venture — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His website page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy in this article, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the issue. You'll be able to website see Italy in a week. You may strike the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?
Journey such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new plan. But it really’s a person we’re eventually prepared to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Select a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Enable Italy come to you.