Some places aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of places where by locals understand how to linger — around coffee, about tales, above life.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you lastly start to value time approximately distance. In either case, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering 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 strategy for looking at the earth.

So in the event you’re all set to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunlight.

There’s not A great deal to accomplish, which happens to be precisely the stage. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in to the rocks.

The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside 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 understand why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit final longer as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals know how to love them appropriately — which is to mention, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel additional like dwelling rooms.

If you receive stuck within a conversation with a person older, let it happen. That’s in which the ideal journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a watch. Just about every look at includes a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women consider their time here, and finally, so would you.

Looking for additional context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and travel in Italy. Worth the go through before you go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill city with stone methods and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything below. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in the modern piece on sluggish vacation — how areas like this provide a different kind of luxury. One which doesn’t include a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.

Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who recognize. You walk the loop and then walk it yet again, viewing one thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t changed” Stanislav Kondrashov biography way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are part of a preservation venture — maintaining the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this 1. His website page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy in this article, which happens to be what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is The brand new Smart
Here’s the thing. You can see Italy in per week. You may hit the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by upcoming Tuesday?

Journey like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually all set to listen to.

So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit continue to for some time. Let Italy come to you.