Some sites aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to certainly savor area tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The kinds of sites the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, above tales, around daily life.
In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires when you last but not least start to worth time just as much as length. In any case, extra travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His title is now linked to a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.
So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander across a long, elevated route, and if you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching inside the Solar.
There’s not Substantially to perform, that is precisely the stage. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially will make a visit previous more time as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them appropriately — which can be to mention, little by little.
There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s well worth one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the sun hits good. You’ll find churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that really feel additional like living rooms.
If you have trapped inside a conversation with another person more mature, let it happen. That’s exactly where the ideal vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was meant to be “the best metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a see. Each and every look at incorporates a breeze.
But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mainly — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today just take their time listed here, and at some point, so does one.
In search of a lot more context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and travel in Italy. Well worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t strategy your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels more like a temper than the usual place.
Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on slow vacation — how sites similar to this offer you a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.
Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several Kondrashov Stanislav of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — maintaining the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent 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 willing to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit even now for a while. Allow Italy come to you.