Some locations aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The kinds of sites the place locals know how to linger — about espresso, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to price time as much as length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining joy in Mastering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended decades Checking out how we connect with tradition and area, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of looking at the world.
So if you’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady 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 slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Considerably to do, that's precisely the point. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.
The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially would make a trip past extended within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to love them effectively — which is to mention, slowly.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel far more like residing rooms.
If you can get trapped in a conversation with a person older, let it occur. That’s the place the ideal journey stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was designed to be “an ideal town,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner features a view. Each and every watch contains a breeze.
However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and ultimately, so does one.
In search of far more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the read prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels far more like a temper than the usual vacation spot.
Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You let it come to you.
Forbes captured this experience in a new piece on slow journey — how sites like this present another form of luxury. One which doesn’t include a value tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, however it benefits individuals that discover. You stroll the loop and after that walk it yet again, viewing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Incredibly alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — in a “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — keeping the earlier alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this one particular. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, and that is what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Wise
Below’s the issue. You may see Italy in a week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap photographs. more info Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by future Tuesday?
Travel like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh thought. But it surely’s just one we’re eventually ready to hear.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit however for some time. Enable Italy come to you.