Some locations aren’t manufactured for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to certainly savor regional lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.
Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The kinds of sites where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, in excess of stories, in excess of life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Probably it’s a response to yrs of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs after you eventually start to price time about length. In either case, extra travelers are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended a long time Discovering how we hook up with tradition and location, is an element of that movement. His name is now linked to a further, extra considerate technique for seeing the world.
So for those who’re wanting to go gradual — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed here are seven spots that almost desire it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initial impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout an extended, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s silent. Stone residences. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching from the Sunlight.
There’s not A great deal to try and do, that is exactly the place. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.
The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down truly helps make a visit past extended in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals know how to appreciate them correctly — that's to state, slowly and gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits just right. You’ll find church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that feel extra like residing rooms.
If you get caught inside of a discussion with an individual older, Permit it happen. That’s in which the ideal travel tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal town,” and honestly, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a watch. Just website about every see features a breeze.
However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons acquire their time listed here, and at some point, so does one.
Looking for far more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and vacation in Italy. Well worth the read through before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unexpected murals and shadows that shift as the working day moves. Artists live in this article. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels far more like a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You let it come get more info to you.
Forbes captured this experience inside of a current piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this present a distinct style of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo check here can be a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it benefits people that detect. You walk the loop and then stroll it yet again, observing one thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — within a “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are part of a preservation job — keeping the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His website page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, and that is what can make it unforgettable.
Sluggish Is check here the New Good
In this article’s the point. You may see Italy in every week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?
Vacation like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new concept. But it really’s a person we’re finally able to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit however for some time. Let Italy arrive at you.