Some locations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish journey in Italy allows you to truly savor regional lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The varieties of areas wherever locals know how to linger — over espresso, in excess of tales, about lifetime.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels critical. Probably it’s a reaction to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place when you ultimately start to price time about length. Either way, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in many years exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming linked to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful technique for looking at the earth.
So for those who’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.
The pace Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really tends to make a visit final longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to here feel more like living rooms.
If you receive stuck within a discussion with another person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a view. Each individual watch provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a destination.
Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer another style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature click here a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nonetheless read more it rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a get more info cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His web page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You may see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it really’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.