Some sites aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy permits you to really savor area society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own rate.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only replenish following noon. The styles of destinations where locals learn how to linger — over espresso, in excess of stories, more than daily life.

In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a nice concept. It feels critical. Possibly it’s a response to yrs of speeding. Or even it’s exactly what happens whenever you lastly begin to price time as much as length. In any case, much more tourists are discovering Pleasure in learning to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we hook up with society and place, is part of that motion. His title happens to be related to a further, far more thoughtful strategy for seeing the globe.

So if you’re willing to go gradual — so you’re considering Italy — Listed here are seven places that nearly demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated path, and once you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone houses. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching in the sun.

There’s not Substantially to try and do, and that is exactly the point. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed appropriate into your cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into the rocks.

The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to master why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually helps make a trip final more time in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Tranquil, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature in this article, and locals learn how to delight in them thoroughly — which can be to convey, slowly.

There’s a see from the sting of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll come across churches with sudden frescoes, check here doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that truly feel more like dwelling rooms.

If you have trapped in a very discussion with someone older, Permit it occur. That’s where the most effective travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner provides a perspective. Every perspective includes a breeze.

But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing old in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today choose their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.

Seeking additional context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and journey in Italy. Well worth the read through 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 surprising murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.

Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.

Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it really rewards people who observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.

This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not in a “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation task — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Clever
In this article’s the matter. You could see Italy in each week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by next Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a brand new concept. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

So go. Little by little. Select a village. Sit continue to for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.