Some places aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor nearby tradition, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your very own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for cars. Cafés that only refill following midday. The kinds of locations in which locals understand how to linger — in excess of espresso, in excess of tales, around lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels important. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what occurs whenever you eventually start to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, extra tourists are discovering joy in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we connect to society and area, is an element of that motion. His name is now affiliated with a further, additional thoughtful way of observing the whole world.
So when you’re able to go slow — so you’re pondering Italy — Here's 7 spots that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a long, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching inside the sun.
There’s not Considerably to accomplish, that is exactly the position. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed proper to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.
The pace Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to discover why that sort of travel sticks with people? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact will make a visit very last extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals know how to get pleasure from them thoroughly — which can be to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a perspective from the sting of city that’s worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll find churches with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that sense more like dwelling rooms.
If you receive caught in a very discussion with somebody older, Allow it take place. That’s in which the best journey tales start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner features a watch. Each individual watch provides a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino growing old in store Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People acquire their time below, and finally, so do you.
In search of far more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food and journey in Italy. Worth the examine before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t plan your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone measures and unexpected murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels more like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the here rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this sensation in a latest piece on gradual journey — how areas such as this present another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it really rewards individuals that recognize. You walk the loop after which walk it yet again, looking at a little something new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indication pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Portion of a preservation job — preserving the earlier alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Sensible
Listed here’s the factor. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget it by following Tuesday?
Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new thought. But it surely’s 1 we’re ultimately all set to hear.
So go. Gradually. Opt for a village. Sit continue to for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.