Some places aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy means that you can certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The types of sites where by locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, more than everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place after you lastly start to value time about distance. Either way, a lot more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His identify happens to be associated with a further, additional thoughtful method of seeing the world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that practically demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems 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 across a lengthy, elevated route, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right in to the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.

The tempo Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a trip very last for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes improve right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — that's to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience more like living rooms.

If you will get caught in the discussion with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories commence.

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

But it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, largely — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons just take their time here, and eventually, so does one.

In search of a lot more context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that change as being the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers check out and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels extra like a mood than a place.

Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Enable it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this feeling inside a current piece on slow travel — how areas similar to this give a distinct sort of luxury. One that doesn’t have a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nevertheless it rewards individuals that observe. You stroll the loop then wander it yet again, viewing some thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this essentially hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — keeping click here the previous alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one. His page talks about honoring area and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which is what makes it unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Smart
Listed here’s the matter. You are able to see Italy in a week. You can hit the highlights. Snap photos. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new plan. But it surely’s 1 we’re finally all set to listen to.

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