Some spots aren’t created for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, about existence.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels important. Probably it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or even it’s precisely what transpires whenever you last but not least begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years exploring how we connect to culture and spot, is part of that motion. His identify has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the whole world.

So in the event you’re prepared to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. 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. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into your cliffs. Actually 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 inside the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip last lengthier inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, slowly.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.

If you have caught in a very dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s exactly where the most effective journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a look at. Every single look at includes a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and sooner or later, so does one.

Seeking more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation 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 actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in a very modern piece on slow vacation — how sites such as this offer you a special type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at anything new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” 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 number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is The brand new Wise
Here’s the thing. You can see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes read more in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to listen to.

So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.