Some locations aren’t created for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy permits you to certainly savor local culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal tempo.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The forms of places exactly where locals understand how to linger — around coffee, above stories, about lifetime.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good strategy. It feels vital. Possibly it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs any time you finally start to worth time around distance. In either case, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here's seven spots that almost need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into your cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, along with 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 travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit final lengthier in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to convey, little by little.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel additional like dwelling rooms.
If you can get trapped in a dialogue with somebody more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s wherever the most beneficial travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner website features a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.
But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone actions and sudden murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Are living listed here. Writers go to and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels additional like a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a very current piece on gradual travel — how sites like this give a unique form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere you go.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop and afterwards walk it yet again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — trying to keep the past alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a person. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Intelligent
Right here’s the detail. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget it by future Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s a person we’re ultimately prepared to listen to.
So go. Slowly. Pick a village. Sit however for a while. Let Italy come to you.