Some destinations aren’t built for pace. Italy is full of them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to truly savor community culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your individual rate.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — about espresso, about tales, over lifestyle.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels essential. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of dashing. Or maybe it’s precisely what takes place whenever you at last begin to benefit time just as much as length. In either case, much more tourists are obtaining joy in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and location, is a component of that motion. His title has become connected to a deeper, additional considerate means of viewing the whole world.

So when you’re wanting to go gradual — and you’re considering Italy — Listed here are seven places that virtually desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s silent. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Sunshine.

There’s not A lot to do, and that is exactly the place. You wander, possibly seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Virtually disappears in the rocks.

The speed here is sluggish, although 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 within the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to know why that kind of travel sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a visit past for a longer period within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes expand below, and locals understand how to delight in them effectively — that is to convey, slowly but surely.

There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s value one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits just right. You’ll uncover churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel more like residing rooms.

If you have caught inside a discussion with somebody more mature, Allow it come about. That’s wherever the top travel stories get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner features a perspective. Each individual watch features a breeze.

But it really’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in store Home windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Folks take their time here, and at some point, so do you.

Searching for more context on why read more using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow meals and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone techniques and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a temper than the usual location.

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

Forbes captured this emotion in the modern piece on gradual vacation — how spots similar to this present a different style of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a price tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it benefits individuals who observe. You walk the loop and after that stroll it once more, looking at anything get more info new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov couple drinking wine
Santo Stefano get more info di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not inside of a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this in fact hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are A part of a preservation job — maintaining the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this just one. His website page talks about honoring area and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy here, that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
Listed here’s the factor. You could see Italy in each week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you ignore it by subsequent Tuesday?

Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new strategy. check here Nevertheless it’s just one we’re at last all set to hear.

So go. Gradually. Opt for a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.