Some destinations aren’t produced for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy allows you to actually savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only refill after midday. The forms of places where locals understand how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than lifestyle.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a nice thought. It feels essential. Probably it’s a reaction to yrs of speeding. Or maybe it’s just what transpires any time you eventually start to benefit time approximately length. Either way, far more travelers are acquiring Pleasure in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years exploring how we connect to tradition and location, is part of that movement. His name is now connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful method of observing the earth.
So in case you’re willing to go sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that virtually desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated route, and any time you get there, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching from the Sunlight.
There’s not Considerably to carry out, that is precisely the position. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that sort of vacation sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down really will make a visit final longer in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop listed here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them correctly — and that is to mention, slowly but surely.
There’s a check out get more info from the sting of city that’s worth an hour or so by itself. Olive more info groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Solar hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that really feel extra like residing rooms.
If you obtain stuck in a dialogue with somebody more mature, Permit it happen. That’s exactly where the top vacation stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was created to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a perspective. Every view has a breeze.
But it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks just take their time below, and at some point, so do you.
On the lookout for additional context on why in this manner of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the browse before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone methods and unexpected murals and here shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Stay here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels additional like a mood than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything get more info at all below. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion inside of a latest piece on slow vacation — how places like this present a special sort of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it really benefits individuals who detect. You walk the loop then wander it once again, seeing anything new every time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation undertaking — preserving the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one. His page talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy in this article, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Intelligent
Right here’s the issue. You can see Italy in every week. You may strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by future Tuesday?
Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different notion. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re ultimately prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Let Italy come to you.