Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to genuinely savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The forms of locations exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you ultimately begin to price time about length. Either way, a lot more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time Discovering how we connect to culture and spot, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be affiliated with a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not much to try and do, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.

The tempo here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that kind of travel sticks with people? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially helps make a trip past lengthier in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals learn how to enjoy them appropriately — that is to say, little by little.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits good. You’ll discover church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you halt, and piazzas that feel more like dwelling rooms.

If you obtain caught inside of a conversation with anyone more mature, let it happen. That’s the place the top journey stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was designed to be “the best city,” and Actually, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner features a check out. Each and every see features a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.

On the lookout for a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the examine 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 techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels much more similar to a mood than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Enable it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo is often a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, get more info however it benefits those that see. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits from 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 undertaking — preserving the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the issue. You may see Italy in every week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.

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