Some sites aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The varieties of spots in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what happens when you last but not least begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used several years exploring how we connect to society and location, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, more considerate means of seeing the globe.
So if you’re ready to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really makes a visit last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to appreciate them adequately — which can be to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits here good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you will get caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the best vacation tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a look at. Each and every check out features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and eventually, so do you.
On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working website day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers take a look at and don’t go check here away. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase everything below. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside a recent piece on sluggish journey — how spots similar to this give another type of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop and then walk it once more, observing one thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing website to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are part of a preservation undertaking — holding the previous alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy listed here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Good
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new concept. However it’s a single we’re finally ready to hear.
So go. Slowly. Select a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.