Some areas aren’t produced for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to actually savor community tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The varieties of spots wherever locals know how to linger — over coffee, over stories, over everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels essential. Maybe it’s a reaction to a long time of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra tourists are discovering joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years Discovering how we connect to culture and spot, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a deeper, more considerate technique for observing the whole world.
So should you’re willing to go slow — and also you’re pondering Italy — Allow me to share seven places that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s silent. Stone houses. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not A great deal to perform, that 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. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly helps make a visit previous extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to love them appropriately — that check here is to state, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make get more info you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.
If you receive caught in the dialogue with someone older, Allow it take place. That’s wherever the best travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Every single watch incorporates a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals take their time below, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide 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 read more and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in the latest piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this offer you a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is often a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really benefits people that detect. You walk the loop and then stroll it again, observing something new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t changed” 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. A lot of read more the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s precisely what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the point. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You can strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new thought. But it’s just one we’re ultimately ready to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Let Italy arrive at you.