Some locations aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own personal pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for autos. Cafés that only fill up following midday. The sorts of places where by locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about stories, in excess of life.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels necessary. Probably it’s a response to yrs of speeding. Or possibly it’s precisely what happens once you eventually start to worth time up to length. In any event, extra tourists are discovering joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His title happens to be connected with a deeper, much more considerate strategy for observing the globe.

So in case you’re all set to go slow — and also you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that pretty much demand 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, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Little gardens. Only one cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to carry out, which can be exactly the issue. You wander, maybe grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s finish.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built suitable in to the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in to the rocks.

The speed here is sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to understand why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down basically will make a trip past for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes develop in this article, and locals understand how to appreciate them correctly — which is to convey, slowly but surely.

There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s well worth an hour or read more so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the sun hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.

If you obtain caught in the discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was designed to be “the ideal town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner provides a watch. Just about every look at incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells awesome. Cheese, mainly — pecorino growing older in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women choose their time in this article, and ultimately, so do you.

In search of more context on why this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food stuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the examine before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone actions and unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists live below. Writers stop by and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels a lot more similar to a temper than the usual location.

Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything listed here. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation in a very new piece on slow journey — how spots such as this provide a website unique sort of luxury. One which doesn’t have a selling price tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it benefits individuals that see. You stroll the loop then stroll it yet again, observing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself 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 put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” way.

Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Portion of a preservation venture — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His site talks about honoring location and time, and that’s more info what precisely this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is The brand new Sensible
Listed here’s the thing. You can see Italy in a week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap images. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or check here will you ignore it by future Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new idea. However it’s a person we’re eventually willing to hear.

So go. Slowly. Opt for a village. Sit nonetheless for some time. Permit Italy arrive at you.