Some places aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to certainly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The varieties of areas exactly where locals understand how to linger — more than coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to yrs of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you ultimately start to worth time up to length. In any event, extra tourists are finding Pleasure in learning 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 sluggish — and you also’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that practically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
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 lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Very small gardens. Just one cat stretching from the sun.

There’s not Considerably to complete, that's 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 light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In case you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.

The tempo here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within 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 basically would make a trip past extended within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, bit by bit.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll find churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.

If you will get stuck within a discussion with an individual older, let it read more take place. That’s in which the ideal journey stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was built to be “the perfect city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a look at. Each and every view has a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You received’t hurry just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.

In search of much more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse 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 surprising murals and shadows that change since the day moves. Artists Dwell listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual location.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling in a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a distinct kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag 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 notice, nonetheless it benefits people that discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to selfmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Section of a preservation challenge — maintaining the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His webpage talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, that is what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Wise
Right here’s the thing. You are able to see Italy in each week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget about it by following Tuesday?

Vacation such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different thought. However it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to listen to.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit however for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.