Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy enables you to truly savor regional lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only refill just after midday. The sorts of areas the place locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, more than stories, about lifestyle.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Possibly it’s a reaction to several years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s precisely what happens any time you finally begin to value time up to length. Either way, more vacationers are acquiring joy in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we connect to culture and area, is part of that motion. His name has grown to be related to a deeper, more considerate method of looking at the globe.
So for those who’re ready to go gradual — therefore you’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 places that practically desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Little gardens. A single cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not Considerably to perform, which can be precisely the stage. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created proper in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.
The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — that's to state, slowly and gradually.
There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll come across churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience additional like click here dwelling rooms.
If you obtain caught in the dialogue with another person older, Allow it take place. That’s in which the top journey tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was designed to be “the ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a perspective. Each and every look at includes a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks consider their time below, and eventually, so does one.
Looking for more context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels more similar to a mood than the usual destination.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade here sluggish and blue. You don’t more info chase just about anything in this article. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience in a current piece on sluggish vacation — how areas like this provide a special sort of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nonetheless it benefits those that detect. You stroll the loop after which stroll it once again, observing a thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — within a “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. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation job — maintaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this 1. His website page talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to hit here the highlights. Snap shots. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different concept. But it’s one particular we’re last but not least ready to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit still for quite a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.