Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to really savor nearby culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The styles of spots the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to years of hurrying. Or even it’s precisely what comes about once you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be related to a deeper, more considerate method of seeing the planet.
So should you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are 7 places that almost demand 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 wander across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, that's precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact can make a trip very last extended with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to love them adequately — which can be to website convey, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll find churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped in a dialogue with someone older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where check here the top journey stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Each and every see has a breeze.
However click here it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside of a new piece on gradual journey — how locations such as this offer another style of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You walk the loop and after that walk it once more, looking at some thing new click here each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — in a “this truly hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Portion of a preservation challenge — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Sensible
Below’s the thing. You could see Italy in each week. You can strike the highlights. Snap images. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?
Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh plan. But it really’s one particular we’re eventually willing to listen to.
So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit still for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.