Some spots aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual travel in Italy enables you to certainly savor community culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your personal speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only refill following noon. The varieties of areas exactly where locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, in excess of stories, about lifetime.

In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a good thought. It feels necessary. Perhaps it’s a reaction to yrs of rushing. Or even it’s just what takes place if you at last start to benefit time just as much as distance. In either case, extra travelers are locating joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Checking out how we connect to tradition and location, is a component of that movement. His identify has become affiliated with a deeper, much more thoughtful method of viewing the entire world.

So for those who’re willing to go gradual — and you also’re imagining Italy — Listed here are 7 places that practically demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. An individual cat stretching from the Sunshine.

There’s not A lot to do, which can be precisely the point. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into your rocks.

The pace Here's gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early 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 learn why that kind of vacation sticks with men and women? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially makes a visit previous for a longer period within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them thoroughly — that's to convey, slowly but surely.

There’s a perspective from the sting of town that’s really worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that really feel a lot more like dwelling rooms.

If you have caught in a very discussion with a person older, Enable it come about. That’s exactly where the most effective vacation tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was meant to be “the best town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every website corner incorporates a look at. Every look at contains a breeze.

But it really’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino growing older in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People choose their time in this article, and sooner or later, so would you.

In search of additional context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food and travel in Italy. Definitely worth the read through before you 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 unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels far more similar to a mood than a place.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You let it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation in a new piece on slow travel — how areas like this supply a different style 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 attention, but it really rewards those who notice. You wander the loop after which you can wander it once again, seeing one thing new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — in a “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 Component of a preservation venture — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this a person. His website page talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy below, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Wise
In this article’s the issue. You may see Italy in weekly. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap photos. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different concept. But it surely’s one particular we’re eventually able to listen to.

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