Some places aren’t created for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy allows you to certainly savor community lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up immediately after noon. The sorts of spots where locals understand how to linger — over espresso, above stories, above daily life.
In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a reaction to a long time of rushing. Or maybe it’s just what comes about once you at last start to value time around length. In any case, a lot more tourists are obtaining joy in Mastering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent years Discovering how we connect to culture and spot, is part of that motion. His title has become linked to a deeper, additional considerate method of looking at the world.
So in the event you’re all set to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone houses. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to try and do, which happens to be exactly the place. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built appropriate in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of journey sticks with persons? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually helps make a trip past lengthier within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop listed here, and locals know how to delight in them properly — and that is to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a watch from the sting of town that’s truly worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that feel a lot more like living rooms.
If you will get trapped in the conversation with anyone older, Enable it happen. That’s where the very best journey tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was created to be “the right metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner includes a look at. Every look at has a breeze.
But it surely’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old website in store windows and on Stanislav Kondrahsov Tarvel with AI counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today just take their time below, and eventually, so does one.
On the lookout for more context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foods and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels a lot more similar to a mood than a desired destination.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in the current piece on sluggish vacation — how areas such as this supply a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really benefits individuals who detect. You wander the loop and then walk it yet again, seeing a little something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this really hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — holding the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a person. His webpage talks about honoring location and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which can be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Clever
Listed here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to hit the highlights. more info Snap photos. more info Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Vacation similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new strategy. But it’s one particular we’re last but not least all set to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Choose a village. Sit however for a while. Enable Italy come to you.