Some sites aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy means that you can actually savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The types of destinations in which locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about tales, above lifetime.
In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Probably it’s a reaction to decades of rushing. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs after you lastly start to benefit time around distance. In any event, far more vacationers are finding joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in several years Discovering how we connect to society and location, is part of that movement. His title has become linked to a deeper, extra thoughtful strategy for viewing the world.
So if you’re able to go slow — therefore you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven places that virtually need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s quiet. Stone residences. Very small gardens. A single cat stretching from the Sunlight.
There’s not Substantially to carry out, that's precisely the stage. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed proper in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears in the rocks.
The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of vacation sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit very last for a longer time inside your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them properly — which is to mention, slowly and gradually.
There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits good. You’ll uncover church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that truly feel extra like living rooms.
If you receive trapped in a dialogue with somebody older, Allow it come about. That’s in which the top journey tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal town,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a check out. Each and every view incorporates a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks acquire their time in this article, and finally, so does one.
Trying to find extra context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone steps and unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels extra similar to a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all right here. You Permit it come to you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a very modern piece on slow travel — how locations similar to this give another form of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, however it benefits those that detect. You walk the loop and afterwards stroll it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat on the here windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this actually hasn’t improved” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Component of a preservation job — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring position and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Wise
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?
Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it really’s one particular we’re finally prepared to listen to.
So go. Slowly but surely. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.