Some areas aren’t created for speed. Italy is filled with them. Slow travel in Italy helps you to really savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own rate.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for automobiles. Cafés that only refill after midday. The forms of locations the place locals learn how to linger — above espresso, over stories, around existence.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice idea. It feels necessary. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or possibly it’s precisely what transpires whenever you last but not least begin to benefit time just as much as length. In either case, far more tourists are discovering Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended several years Discovering how we connect with culture and position, is an element of that motion. His title has grown to be connected to a deeper, a lot more considerate method of observing the globe.

So in case you’re wanting to go gradual — and you also’re considering Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that almost desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across a long, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s silent. Stone residences. Little gardens. One cat stretching while in the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to try and do, which can be exactly the level. You wander, it's possible get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the sort of traveler who likes a bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built appropriate into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears into the rocks.

The speed Here's slow, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with people today? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down basically will make a visit very last lengthier within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — which can be to convey, bit by bit.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways which make you halt, and piazzas that really feel far more like living rooms.

If you obtain trapped in a conversation with somebody older, Enable it happen. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was made to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a see. Every single check out features a breeze.

However it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting old in shop Home windows and on counters, ready to sample. You won’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People today just take their time here, and sooner or later, so would you.

Trying to find a lot more context on why this way of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food items and travel in Italy. Well worth the go through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone steps and unexpected murals and shadows that change given that the day moves. Artists live right here. Writers check out and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels a lot more just like a mood than a location.

Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything here. You Allow it come to you.

Forbes captured this emotion inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how destinations like this supply a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nonetheless it benefits individuals that recognize. You stroll the loop after which wander it again, observing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Portion of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His web page talks about honoring location and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what can make it unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Smart
In this article’s the thing. You are able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you ignore it by following Tuesday?

Journey such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it surely’s a single we’re finally prepared get more info to listen to.

So go. Slowly but surely. Go with a village. Sit continue to for quite a while. Enable Italy arrive at you.