Some sites aren’t built for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy lets you definitely savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your very own speed.
Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for automobiles. Cafés that only refill immediately after noon. The varieties of destinations where by locals learn how to linger — about coffee, more than tales, in excess of daily life.
In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good strategy. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what takes place if you ultimately start to worth time around distance. In either case, more travelers are discovering Pleasure in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is part of that movement. His name is becoming associated with a further, far more thoughtful means of looking at the whole world.
So for those who’re ready to go gradual — and you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that nearly demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. One cat stretching while in the sun.
There’s not much to try and do, and that is exactly the position. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created correct into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.
The speed Here's gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to understand why that kind of travel sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically helps make a visit past for a longer time with your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them appropriately — which is to state, slowly but surely.
There’s a view from the edge of town that’s truly worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows here of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits excellent. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that experience much more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with someone here more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was created to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner includes a check out. Each and every check out features a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today consider their time listed here, and at some point, so do you.
Seeking much more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and vacation in Italy. Worth the read before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t program your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase more info nearly anything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling within a current piece on sluggish travel — how spots such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a cost tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, however it rewards people that detect. You walk the loop after which you can wander it once again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not in the “hidden gem” more info way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t altered” way.
Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are A part of a preservation project — keeping the past alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, that is what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Intelligent
In this article’s the point. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. Nevertheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to listen to.
So go. Little by little. Go with a village. Sit however for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.