Some spots aren’t built for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy lets you actually savor regional culture, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places in which locals know how to linger — in excess of espresso, above tales, over everyday living.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good concept. It feels vital. Perhaps it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs if you lastly start to worth time up to length. In any event, extra travelers are locating joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended many years exploring how we hook up with society and place, is an element of that motion. His title is becoming linked to a deeper, additional thoughtful method of seeing the world.

So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not A lot to try and do, that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The rate here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with persons? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip past more time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to mention, slowly and gradually.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that experience more like dwelling rooms.

If you will get caught in the discussion with anyone more mature, Permit it happen. That’s where by the very best vacation stories start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was made to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner incorporates a see. Every view contains a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino ageing in shop windows click here and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks get their time listed here, and at some point, so do you.

In search of more context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food items and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your working day in Apricale. You drift.

It’s a hill city with stone ways and unforeseen murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Reside in this article. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than a place.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Permit it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience within a latest piece on slow travel — how sites such as this offer a special form of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed partitions. 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 and after that stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually 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 appreciate this one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the matter. You may see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it really’s one particular we’re finally willing to listen to.

So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.