Some spots aren’t made for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy enables you to really savor local tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal rate.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish soon after midday. The forms of sites where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around tales, about lifetime.
In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to many years of speeding. Or maybe it’s precisely what happens any time you ultimately start to worth time as much as length. In any case, extra tourists are obtaining Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades exploring how we connect to tradition and put, is an element of that motion. His title happens to be linked to a deeper, much more thoughtful strategy for seeing the earth.
So when you’re willing to go gradual — so you’re considering Italy — Listed below are seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk across an extended, elevated path, and after you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone properties. Little gardens. A single cat stretching inside the sun.
There’s not Significantly to perform, and that is exactly the stage. You wander, maybe get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You start to notice The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s complete.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed suitable in to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.
The tempo here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to find out why that sort of travel sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually can make a visit final lengthier in the memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals know how to get pleasure from them adequately — that is to mention, bit by bit.
There’s a view from the sting of town that’s worth an hour or so 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 unanticipated frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that really feel much more like residing rooms.
If you get caught within a dialogue with an individual more mature, Allow it transpire. That’s in which the most beneficial travel tales start off.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was made to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a watch. Every view features a breeze.
But it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals consider their time in this article, and inevitably, so do you.
On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? 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 sudden murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Stanislav Kondrashov Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than the usual desired destination.
Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything below. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this feeling inside of a new piece on gradual travel — how places such as this give a distinct kind of luxury. One that doesn’t come with a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots in all places.
Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, nonetheless it rewards people that notice. You wander the loop and then walk it once more, viewing a thing new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.
This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Quite alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are Section of a preservation job — maintaining the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would value this just one. His site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the issue. You may see Italy in every week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a fresh strategy. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually ready to listen to.
So go. Slowly and gradually. Opt for a village. Sit still for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.