Some areas aren’t produced for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy permits you to genuinely savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The varieties of spots the place locals learn how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, above life.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you finally start to value time up to length. In any event, more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, much more thoughtful way of looking at the world.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to try and do, that is exactly the place. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with people today? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually helps make a trip past extended in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals understand how to love them adequately — which can be to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s truly worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped in a conversation with a person older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was meant to click here be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, all website set to sample. You won’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks acquire their time right here, and at some point, so do you.
Searching for far more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé here Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the examine before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift as the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels additional like a mood than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion within a latest piece on gradual travel — how locations such as this supply a distinct style of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it benefits individuals that recognize. You stroll the loop after which wander it once more, looking at some thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are part of check here a preservation venture — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the detail. You can see Italy in per week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. Nevertheless it’s just one we’re last but not least able to hear.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.