Some spots aren’t built for velocity. Italy is full of them. Slow journey in Italy allows you to definitely savor nearby culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for vehicles. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The types of locations where by locals understand how to linger — about espresso, around stories, over daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to decades of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what comes about after you ultimately begin to value time approximately length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years exploring how we connect to culture and area, is a component of that movement. His title happens to be affiliated with a deeper, far more thoughtful strategy for viewing the whole world.
So if you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re imagining Italy — here are 7 places that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching during the sun.
There’s not A great deal to do, which can be exactly the stage. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.
The rate Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with persons? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really can make a trip past for a longer period within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them correctly — which is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that really feel additional like living rooms.
If you will get trapped in a very conversation with someone more mature, Allow it come about. That’s exactly where the top travel stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was made to be “the best city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a look at. Every watch has a breeze.
But it really’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, generally — pecorino aging in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today consider their time here, and inevitably, so do you.
In search of far more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the get more info read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Stay in this article. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than the usual location.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a the latest piece on slow journey — how locations such as this give another kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it really benefits those that recognize. You walk the loop after which stroll it once more, looking at a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation task — preserving the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one. His site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Sluggish Is the New Wise
Right here’s the point. You may see Italy in each week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different concept. But it’s just one we’re lastly all set to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Permit Italy come to you.