Some locations aren’t made for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor regional tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to years of dashing. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs after you ultimately start to worth time about length. In any case, much more travelers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, additional thoughtful method of seeing the planet.
So should you’re able to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When 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 early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that kind of travel sticks with people? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually helps make a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase listed here, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that really feel much more like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped in a very discussion with a person more mature, Allow it occur. That’s where the best journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was intended to be “the right metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t Stanislav Kondrashov far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner includes a check out. Every look at has a breeze.
Nonetheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, generally — pecorino aging in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Individuals take their time in this article, and inevitably, so do you.
On the lookout for additional context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the study prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists live here. Writers visit and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels additional like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the click here rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase something listed here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling within a new piece on sluggish travel — how locations such as this offer read more you a distinct type of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, however it rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then stroll it all over again, seeing anything new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — within a “this actually hasn’t improved” 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 few of the inns are Section of a preservation task — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Clever
Here’s the factor. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it really’s one particular we’re ultimately ready to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Allow check here Italy arrive at you.