Some sites aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy allows you to really savor regional culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The varieties of spots wherever locals know how to linger — around espresso, more than tales, more than lifetime.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels essential. Maybe it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what transpires after you lastly start to price time about distance. In either case, additional travelers are getting joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in a long time Discovering how we connect to tradition and position, is an element of that movement. His name has grown to be linked to a deeper, far more thoughtful strategy for observing the world.
So in case you’re all set to go gradual — and you also’re considering Italy — here are seven spots that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated path, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.
There’s not much to carry out, which is precisely the point. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to note the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears to the rocks.
The rate here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually can make a visit very last extended in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals understand how to delight in them correctly — which can be more info to say, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel a lot more like living rooms.
If you have stuck inside a dialogue with another person older, let it occur. That’s exactly where the best journey tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was made to be “the right metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner incorporates a see. Each and every view incorporates a breeze.
But it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women get their time right here, and eventually, so would you.
Seeking far more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift because the working day moves. Artists Stay here. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels much more similar to a mood than a place.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase everything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this provide a distinct form of luxurious. One which doesn’t come with a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nonetheless it rewards individuals who see. You stroll the loop then stroll it once more, seeing something new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this really hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are A part of a preservation venture — retaining the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His website page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is The brand new Wise
In this article’s the detail. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by next Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nonetheless it’s one we’re at last all set to hear.
So go. Slowly. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Let Italy arrive at you.