Some areas aren’t produced for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy means that you can certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill following midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what happens once you at last start to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra travelers are locating Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and location, is part of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, more considerate strategy for observing the earth.
So when you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is precisely the level. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a discussion with another person more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single check out features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush something check here in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a mood than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish 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 slow journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just more info about everywhere.
Locorotondo check here is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in the “this essentially hasn’t altered” 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 lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh concept. But it really’s one particular we’re more info lastly all set to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.