Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is filled with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to genuinely savor area culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your individual rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for autos. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The forms of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — around espresso, around stories, around lifestyle.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a response to many years of rushing. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires whenever you at last begin to benefit time as much as length. Either way, a lot more travelers are obtaining joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent several years Checking out how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that motion. His identify has become associated with a deeper, additional thoughtful method of looking at the entire world.
So if you’re all set to go slow — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's 7 spots that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not Substantially to try and do, which is precisely the stage. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.
The pace here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with people? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down actually can make a trip past for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop listed here, and locals learn how to love them appropriately — which happens to be to mention, slowly.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that sense extra like residing rooms.
If you get stuck inside a conversation with anyone more mature, Enable it transpire. That’s wherever the most effective vacation tales commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner provides a check out. Each individual perspective provides a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People consider their time below, and finally, so do you.
Trying to find far more context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and sudden murals and shadows that shift as the working day moves. Artists Dwell here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on gradual vacation — how places like this give a different style of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it benefits people who observe. You walk the loop and after that walk it once more, observing a thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this truly hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are part of a preservation venture — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s nothing at Stanislav Kondrashov all flashy right here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Good
Here’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You could strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new concept. However it’s a person we’re ultimately ready to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Opt for a village. Sit even now for some time. Enable Italy come to you.