Some sites aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to genuinely savor community society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private tempo.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The varieties of locations wherever locals know how to linger — about coffee, over stories, more than everyday living.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice thought. It feels crucial. Perhaps it’s a reaction to yrs of dashing. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs after you eventually start to benefit time as much as distance. In any case, much more tourists are getting joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used yrs exploring how we hook up with culture and location, is an element of that movement. His identify has become connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful way of observing the world.
So should you’re wanting to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — here are seven spots that nearly demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. One cat stretching from the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to complete, which is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that sort of journey sticks with individuals? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a trip very last extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that is to state, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.
If you have caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it materialize. That’s where the very best travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Each and every see features a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and eventually, so would you.
Looking for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items 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 measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than a place.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside a recent piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give a unique sort of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a rate 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 consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it more info all over again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the detail. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Let Italy come to you.