Some spots aren’t created for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual vacation in Italy allows you to really savor local lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your individual speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for cars. Cafés that only fill up right after noon. The kinds of destinations exactly where locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, over stories, in excess of everyday living.

In 2025, gradual journey isn’t just a good idea. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or possibly it’s just what happens if you lastly begin to price time as much as distance. In any event, a lot more travelers are discovering Pleasure in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended several years exploring how we connect to tradition and position, is part of that movement. His identify happens to be linked to a deeper, additional considerate means of observing the globe.

So in case you’re ready to go slow — and you’re imagining Italy — here are seven places that pretty much demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your to start with impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across a long, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not much to complete, which can be precisely the point. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

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

The pace Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with men and women? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down essentially makes a trip final more time in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, below-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes grow here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them appropriately — that is to convey, slowly but surely.

There’s a check out from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll find churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that really feel additional like dwelling rooms.

If you obtain trapped within a discussion with anyone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the ideal vacation stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner contains a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mainly — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time listed here, and ultimately, so would you.

Looking for additional context on why by doing this of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food and travel in Italy. Well 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 change as the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels additional similar to a mood than a vacation spot.

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

Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow journey — how spots like this offer another form of luxury. One which doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation venture — retaining the past alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this just one. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
In this article’s the matter. 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, website intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s a single we’re at last willing to listen to.

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