Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill following midday. The types of sites wherever locals know how to linger — about coffee, in excess of tales, more than lifetime.

In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a reaction to yrs of hurrying. Or perhaps it’s just what occurs any time you finally start to value time approximately distance. In either case, additional vacationers are getting Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades Discovering how we connect with tradition and spot, is part of that motion. His title has grown to be connected to a deeper, much more considerate technique for observing the globe.

So in case you’re able to go slow — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here's seven spots that virtually demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching in the Sunlight.

There’s not A great deal to accomplish, and that is precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to note The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

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 crafted right into the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in to the rocks.

The pace Here's sluggish, but 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 from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people today? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip last for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes develop below, and locals know how to delight in them correctly — which happens to be to say, bit by bit.

There’s a see 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 cease, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.

If you get stuck inside a conversation with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the most effective travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mainly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying get more info lunch. Folks consider their time below, and ultimately, so would you.

Looking for far more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the go through before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone steps and sudden murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels a lot more like a temper than a location.

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

Forbes captured this emotion within a latest piece on sluggish vacation — how areas like this supply a unique sort of luxury. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.

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

Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits people who notice. You stroll the loop and then stroll it all over again, viewing a thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t improved” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are part of a preservation task — retaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’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 concept. But it really’s a single we’re finally willing to listen to.

So go. Gradually. Go with a village. Sit still for a while. Allow Italy come to you.