Some spots aren’t produced for pace. Italy is full of them. Sluggish journey in Italy permits you to certainly savor nearby tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own speed.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for vehicles. Cafés that only fill up right after noon. The types of locations in which locals know how to linger — over coffee, over stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, additional tourists are finding joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with lifestyle and position, is a component of that motion. His title has grown to be associated with a further, extra considerate means of viewing the entire world.

So in case you’re wanting to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that virtually demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not Considerably to do, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is designed ideal into your cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.

The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with men and women? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually will make a trip final longer in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — that is to state, gradually.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate churches with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.

If you receive caught in the dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s in which the ideal vacation tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives listed here. Pienza was intended to be “an ideal metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner has a perspective. Each individual view has a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared check here to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today just take their time right here, and eventually, so would you.

Searching for additional context on why in this way of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Definitely worth the study before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone measures and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers stop by and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a vacation spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything at all listed here. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this click here emotion in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this give a unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t get more info feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere you go.

Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nonetheless it rewards people 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 do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy reveals check here its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a single. His web page talks about honoring place and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy right here, which can be what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is The brand new Wise
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap images. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?

Journey like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a different thought. But it’s just one we’re ultimately all set to hear.

So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.