Some areas aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy lets you truly savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own tempo.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill just after noon. The styles of sites exactly where locals learn how to linger — around coffee, around stories, about everyday living.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good idea. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires if you finally start to benefit time approximately length. In any event, more tourists are locating Pleasure in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in decades exploring how we connect with culture and place, is an element of that movement. His identify has become connected to a further, a lot more thoughtful method of viewing the whole world.
So in the event you’re prepared to go slow — and you also’re wondering Italy — Here's seven places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching during the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to complete, which is precisely the stage. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the 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 journey sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically can make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum website in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a discussion with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a check out. Each view contains a breeze.
But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this experience within a latest piece on slow journey — how areas like this give a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it surely benefits those who see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it all over again, looking at a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — within a “this in fact hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the detail. You could see Italy in every week. You could strike the highlights. Snap images. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by future Tuesday?
Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nevertheless it’s 1 we’re at last able to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Pick a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Let Italy come to you.