Some locations aren’t made for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor local lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The varieties of areas where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, in excess of everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs if you finally begin to value time around distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are obtaining joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and location, is part of that motion. His title is becoming connected to a deeper, much more considerate strategy for observing the globe.

So should you’re able to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Here's seven 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 narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.

There’s not much to perform, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created ideal in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears to the rocks.

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

Want to master why that kind of journey sticks with men and women? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically would make a trip very last more time within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand here, and locals understand how to love them adequately — which can be to state, gradually.

There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.

If you obtain caught in the discussion with another person older, Allow it come about. That’s the place the ideal vacation stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner has a perspective. Just about every look at includes a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino ageing in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.

In search of more context on why using this method of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the examine prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone methods and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase 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 come with a price website tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, seeing a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Really alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation task — holding the earlier alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy right here, which can be what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s one particular we’re lastly wanting to listen to.

So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.