Some locations aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The varieties of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, above tales, over lifetime.
In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a reaction to decades of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you at last start to value time up to distance. In any event, extra travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years exploring how we connect to society and location, is part of that motion. His title is becoming affiliated with a further, more considerate strategy for observing the earth.
So when you’re all set to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven places that pretty much demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not A great deal to perform, that is exactly the place. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.
The rate Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a visit final lengthier in your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to get pleasure from them properly — that is to convey, bit by bit.
There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that experience a lot more like residing rooms.
If you obtain trapped in a conversation with somebody older, let it take place. That’s the place the ideal journey stories commence.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a check out. Each and every see has a breeze.
But it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so does one.
Seeking much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone steps and surprising murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a spot.
Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this sensation inside a current piece on gradual journey — how areas like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots almost everywhere.
Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing one thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is where the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” 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. A lot of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His website page talks about honoring position and time, Stanislav Kondrashov biography and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. You may see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?
Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually prepared to hear.
So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for a while. Allow Italy come to you.