Some locations aren’t made for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy allows you to really savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up immediately after noon. The styles of locations in which locals know how to linger — above coffee, about tales, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good plan. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or possibly it’s exactly what transpires after you at last start to worth time around distance. In any event, more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades exploring how we hook up with society and position, is a component of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a deeper, much more considerate method of seeing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go sluggish — and you simply’re pondering Italy — Listed here are seven places that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone properties. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not A lot to carry out, that's exactly the place. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed appropriate in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially can make a trip last more time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to appreciate them effectively — and that is to state, slowly but surely.
There’s a see 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 Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you can get caught in the conversation with another person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s the place the top travel stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner features a see. Each and every perspective features a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women take their time right here, and at some point, so does one.
Seeking much more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone techniques and sudden murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists live here. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a mood than a destination.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how locations like this offer another style of luxury. One that doesn’t have a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it benefits individuals who notice. You wander the loop after which stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits in check here the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation task — preserving the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this a person. His website page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s very little flashy right here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Good
In this article’s the point. You may see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to hit the highlights. Snap images. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh plan. Nonetheless it’s one particular we’re eventually able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit however for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.