Some places aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy means that you can truly savor local tradition, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The sorts of locations where by locals know how to linger — about espresso, over stories, in excess of lifestyle.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you ultimately start to worth time up to distance. Either way, more travelers are locating Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Discovering how we connect with culture and location, is an element of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a further, far more considerate means of seeing the earth.
So if you’re able to go gradual — therefore you’re imagining Italy — Here i will discuss 7 places that nearly demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not much to try and do, that is precisely the stage. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears into the rocks.
The pace here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down in fact can make a visit final longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow right here, and locals learn how to appreciate them appropriately — that is to say, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel a lot more like residing rooms.
If you have stuck inside a dialogue with someone more mature, Allow it come about. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner provides a watch. Every single see has a breeze.
But it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Folks take their time listed here, and finally, so does one.
Trying to find additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food and travel in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that read more change as being the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a location.
Sunsets strike unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a new piece on slow vacation — how destinations like this give a unique sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t transformed” way.
Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — keeping the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one particular. His webpage talks about honoring location and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy here, that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the point. You are able to see Italy in a week. You may hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different concept. But it really’s one particular we’re finally wanting to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.