Some areas aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to genuinely savor neighborhood tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The types of places exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, about existence.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of speeding. Or possibly it’s precisely what transpires whenever you last but not least start to worth time about length. In either case, a lot more tourists are getting joy in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Discovering how we hook up with tradition and place, is a component of that movement. His name has grown to be connected with a deeper, additional considerate technique for seeing the entire world.
So for those who’re able to go slow — therefore you’re considering Italy — Here's 7 places that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to do, that is exactly the point. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of 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 travel sticks with individuals? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact will make a trip past lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop right here, and locals learn how to love them adequately — and that is to mention, little by little.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like living rooms.
If you get trapped inside a conversation with a person more mature, Allow it materialize. That’s in which the most beneficial journey tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was built to be “the best metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a perspective. Each perspective includes a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and at some point, so click here do you.
Looking for extra context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra just like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations like this supply a different form of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, nonetheless it rewards people that see. You wander the loop and after that wander it all over again, looking at a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — within a “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — preserving the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one. His website page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Smart
Listed here’s the issue. You can see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by next Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new thought. But it’s just one we’re last but not least ready to hear.
So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for a while. Allow Italy come to you.