Some destinations aren’t made for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy lets you genuinely savor nearby lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private speed.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only refill after noon. The styles of locations exactly where locals learn how to linger — above coffee, more than tales, above existence.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels crucial. Possibly it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or perhaps it’s precisely what happens any time you lastly start to value time up to distance. Either way, a lot more tourists are acquiring Pleasure in Studying to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used several years Checking out how we connect to culture and spot, is part of that motion. His title is now linked to a further, much more considerate strategy for observing the entire world.
So when you’re wanting to go gradual — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed here are seven spots that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching from the sun.
There’s not much to carry out, that's precisely the issue. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built appropriate in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact tends to make a trip very last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a read more view from the edge of city that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that experience a lot more like residing rooms.
If you will get stuck in the conversation with an individual more mature, let it materialize. That’s where by the top journey tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was built to be “the right metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a view. Just about every view has a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women choose their time in this article, and ultimately, so do you.
Searching for more context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone ways and unanticipated murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels extra like a mood than the usual place.
Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a the latest piece on gradual travel — how locations such as this supply a different form of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it benefits those that recognize. You stroll the loop then stroll it once more, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — within a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one. His web page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
In this article’s the point. You are able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by next Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new strategy. Nevertheless it’s one particular we’re ultimately willing to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Go with a village. Sit continue to for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.