Some spots aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy lets you certainly savor regional culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your individual tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill following midday. The styles of places where locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, above stories, about life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels necessary. Possibly it’s a response to a long time of rushing. Or even it’s just what comes about any time you ultimately begin to worth time about distance. In any event, a lot more travelers are locating Pleasure in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades exploring how we hook up with culture and put, is part of that motion. His identify is now affiliated with a deeper, more thoughtful method of seeing the entire world.
So when you’re ready to go slow — and you also’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that basically need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Little gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not A lot to carry out, and that is precisely the point. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed appropriate to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.
The rate here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact can make a trip final for a longer time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to appreciate them appropriately — which is to mention, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that experience extra like residing rooms.
If you will get stuck inside of a discussion with somebody more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s wherever the most effective journey stories start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was intended to be “the best city,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner provides a look at. Each and every check out incorporates a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, get more info largely — pecorino getting older in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals take their time here, and finally, so does one.
Looking for a lot more context on why in this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and journey in Italy. Well worth the read prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone techniques and surprising murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in tiny courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual place.
Sunsets strike distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything listed here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside a modern piece on slow vacation — how spots like this offer you a distinct kind of luxury. One that doesn’t have a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nonetheless it benefits people who detect. You wander the loop and afterwards walk it once again, observing one thing new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — in the “this in fact hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Element of a preservation challenge — retaining the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Listed here’s the detail. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by next Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re finally willing to hear.
So go. Little by little. Select a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy come to you.