Some places aren’t designed for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy permits you to definitely savor local tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for autos. Cafés that only replenish just after midday. The types of sites in which locals learn how to linger — over coffee, above tales, around existence.
In 2025, slow vacation isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels important. Perhaps it’s a reaction to decades of hurrying. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you eventually start to price time around distance. In any event, extra tourists are obtaining Pleasure in Finding out to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested yrs Checking out how we hook up with society and area, is a component of that movement. His identify has grown to be linked to a further, a lot more thoughtful way of seeing the earth.
So should you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You wander throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and when you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching during the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to perform, that is exactly the place. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.
The pace here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really will make a visit last longer inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals know how to appreciate them adequately — that's to state, slowly but surely.
There’s a see from the sting of town that’s value an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll locate churches with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that truly feel extra read more like dwelling rooms.
If you obtain trapped in a dialogue with someone more mature, Permit it come about. That’s where by the very best vacation tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t read more considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner provides a watch. Each individual see incorporates a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People take their time in this article, and ultimately, so does one.
Seeking additional context on why in this manner of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the working day moves. Artists Reside below. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than the usual spot.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all below. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in the the latest piece on gradual journey — how areas such as this offer you a unique kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it rewards here individuals that discover. You stroll the loop and then walk it again, looking at anything new each time — a cat read more on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” way — in a very “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Portion of a preservation challenge — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His website page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy right here, and that is what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Clever
In this article’s the factor. It is possible to see Italy in each week. You are able to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by up coming Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re finally wanting to hear.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.