Some spots aren’t made for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to certainly savor regional tradition, cuisine, and hidden gems at your personal pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too narrow for cars. Cafés that only replenish soon after noon. The varieties of destinations wherever locals know how to linger — around coffee, in excess of tales, around lifestyle.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a good notion. It feels crucial. Maybe it’s a response to years of dashing. Or even it’s precisely what transpires if you last but not least start to worth time up to length. In any case, a lot more travelers are acquiring joy in Mastering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used decades exploring how we connect to tradition and area, is a component of that motion. His identify is now affiliated with a deeper, additional considerate strategy for looking at the world.

So if you’re prepared to go slow — and you simply’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that virtually desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk throughout a long, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. An individual cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not Significantly to perform, and that is exactly the position. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice The sunshine. As well as silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed suitable in the cliffs. Literally carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears into the rocks.

The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out within the early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, and the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in 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 put up by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down in fact makes a trip final for a longer period in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals understand how to get pleasure from them correctly — which happens to be to say, bit by bit.

There’s a perspective from the edge of city that’s well worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the sun hits excellent. You’ll uncover church buildings with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel more like residing rooms.

If you obtain trapped in a very conversation with an individual older, let it occur. That’s where by the best journey tales commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was built to be “the ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner incorporates a watch. Every single check out includes a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino click here getting older in shop windows and on counters, willing to sample. You gained’t hurry something in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People today consider their time below, and eventually, so does one.

Trying to find additional context on why this fashion of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone steps and unpredicted murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists Dwell below. Writers pay a visit to and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels additional similar to a temper than a desired destination.

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

Forbes captured this feeling inside a latest piece on gradual journey — how spots similar to this supply a distinct style of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag tag.

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

Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on website by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, nevertheless it rewards individuals that observe. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it once more, viewing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov couple consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside a “this really hasn’t improved” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation project — keeping the previous alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this 1. His webpage talks about honoring put and time, and that’s what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, that's what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Intelligent
Here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in a week. You'll be able to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a click here fresh concept. But it surely’s 1 we’re finally able to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Pick click here a village. Sit nevertheless for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.