Some locations aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations where by locals understand how to linger — around coffee, about tales, above everyday living.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. It's possible it’s a response to a long time of speeding. Or perhaps it’s exactly what occurs if you finally begin to value time approximately distance. In either case, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years Checking out how we hook up with lifestyle and position, is part of that motion. His title is becoming linked to a deeper, more thoughtful way of seeing the whole world.

So should you’re wanting to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — Here i will discuss seven places that pretty much demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears 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. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a protracted, elevated route, and after you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching inside the sun.

There’s not Significantly to perform, that is precisely the stage. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

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

The pace here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining within the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to master why that kind of vacation sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially tends to make a visit past longer with your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them effectively — that's to state, slowly.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s well worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits excellent. You’ll obtain churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel much more like living rooms.

If you obtain caught in a very discussion with someone older, Allow it materialize. That’s exactly where the top journey stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was meant to be “an ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner incorporates a check out. Each and every watch incorporates a breeze.

But it really’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, typically — pecorino ageing in store Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You gained’t hurry anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Persons consider their time below, and finally, so do you.

In search of a lot more context on why in this manner of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the read before you go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels much more just like a mood than a destination.

Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything right here. You Enable it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this feeling within a latest piece on gradual vacation — how areas similar to this offer a distinct form of luxury. One that doesn’t have a cost tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it really rewards those who detect. You walk the loop after which walk it once more, looking at one thing new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to homemade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a “this really hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Section of a preservation venture — trying to keep the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His website page here talks about honoring location and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy right here, which happens to be what makes it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Smart
In this article’s the thing. You are able to see Italy in a week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by future Tuesday?

Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a different notion. But it really’s just one we’re last but not least prepared to listen to.

So go. Little by little. Opt for a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Enable Italy come to you.