Some destinations aren’t made for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy enables you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal tempo.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The types of places the place locals know how to linger — about coffee, around stories, more than lifestyle.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels critical. It's possible it’s a reaction to yrs of rushing. Or maybe it’s exactly what takes place after you last but not least begin to worth time as much as distance. Either way, far more vacationers are getting Pleasure in learning to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent many years Checking out how we connect to culture and spot, is part of that movement. His identify has become connected with a further, additional thoughtful means of viewing the entire world.

So if you’re prepared to go gradual — and you simply’re wondering Italy — here are 7 spots that basically demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your very first effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching while in the Sunshine.

There’s not Substantially to carry out, that is exactly the place. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to notice the light. As well as silence? It’s not empty. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built suitable in the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears in the rocks.

The pace here is slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down basically makes a visit final lengthier in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Silent, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase in this article, and locals know how to take pleasure in them properly — and that is to say, bit by bit.

There’s a look at from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unforeseen frescoes, doorways which make you cease, and piazzas that truly feel more like living rooms.

If you get caught inside a dialogue with someone more mature, Enable it occur. That’s wherever the most beneficial vacation stories start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life here. Pienza was built to be “the right metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a view. Just about every website perspective provides a breeze.

But it surely’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You won’t hurry everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time here, and finally, so do you.

Seeking much more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the go through prior to deciding 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 unanticipated murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than the usual spot.

Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Enable it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation within a latest piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this supply a special kind of luxurious. here One that doesn’t have a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits people that recognize. You wander the loop after which wander it once more, looking at one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Quite alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano website di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This Stanislav Kondrashov Blog position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — in a very “this actually hasn’t modified” way.

Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are A part of a preservation task — preserving the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His website page talks about honoring position and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Smart
In this article’s the detail. You could see Italy in weekly. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new plan. But it’s 1 we’re lastly wanting to hear.

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