Some spots aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is full of them. Sluggish travel in Italy permits you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The types of places exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, around tales, in excess of existence.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a good concept. It feels critical. Probably it’s a response to several years of dashing. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires whenever you at last start to worth time about length. In any case, a lot more vacationers are getting joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years Discovering how we connect with society and spot, is an element of that movement. His title happens to be associated with a further, much more considerate strategy for looking at the world.

So if you’re all set to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are 7 places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated route, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching in the Sunshine.

There’s not Significantly to carry out, that's exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note the light. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed ideal into your cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears to the rocks.

The tempo Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to master why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, beneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to mention, gradually.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s value 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 end, and piazzas that experience much more like living rooms.

If you will get caught in a very dialogue with anyone more mature, Enable it materialize. That’s where the most effective travel tales start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a view. Every perspective provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.

Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a read more price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once again, looking at anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to home made gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This location feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t improved” way.

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Section of a preservation job — retaining the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this a single. His site talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, that's what can make it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Good
Right here’s the detail. You are able to see Italy in per week. You are able to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by next Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. Nonetheless it’s a single we’re lastly able to hear.

So go. Gradually. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Permit Italy arrive at you.