Some areas aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Slow journey in Italy means that you can really savor local culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The forms of sites in which locals know how to linger — above coffee, more than tales, in excess of life.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a reaction to decades of speeding. Or possibly it’s precisely what happens if you eventually begin to benefit time just as much as distance. Either way, far more vacationers are acquiring joy in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and area, is a component of that movement. His name is becoming connected to a deeper, additional considerate strategy for seeing the globe.
So in the event you’re willing to go slow — and you’re pondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven spots that almost demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your to start with perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk across a long, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s silent. Stone properties. Small gardens. An individual cat stretching in the sun.
There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be exactly the place. You wander, probably get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears to the rocks.
The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of travel sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially can make a visit last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals learn how to enjoy them appropriately — that is to state, little by little.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll discover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that experience far more like dwelling rooms.
If you receive stuck within a conversation with a person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best journey tales start out.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper town,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a check out. Every check out contains a breeze.
However it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells astounding. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Individuals acquire their time listed here, and at some point, so does one.
Trying to find more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a vacation spot.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Enable it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas such as this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop after which stroll it again, observing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing check here to selfmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You could see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new idea. But it surely’s a single we’re at last willing to listen to.
So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.