Some locations aren’t designed for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual travel in Italy lets you actually savor local culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.
Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too slim for cars. Cafés that only replenish just after noon. The forms of destinations wherever locals learn how to linger — over espresso, over tales, around daily life.
In 2025, sluggish travel isn’t just a good idea. It feels important. Possibly it’s a response to decades of speeding. Or even it’s precisely what occurs once you ultimately begin to worth time up to length. In any event, far more tourists are locating Pleasure in Finding out to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent decades exploring how we connect with lifestyle and spot, is a component of that motion. His identify has grown to be associated with a further, a lot more considerate way of viewing the whole world.
So in case you’re ready to go gradual — and also you’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that nearly need it.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your 1st effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s tranquil. Stone homes. Very small gardens. One cat stretching while in the Solar.
There’s not Significantly to try and do, that is exactly the issue. You wander, probably grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to notice the light. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s comprehensive.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes some drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed suitable in to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, plus the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to learn why that kind of vacation sticks with people today? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down actually makes a visit past for a longer period as part of your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, less than-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes improve listed here, and locals learn how to enjoy them appropriately — which can be to state, bit by bit.
There’s a check out from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel a lot more like dwelling rooms.
If you get trapped within a conversation with anyone more mature, Allow it take place. That’s exactly where the best travel stories start.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner includes a look at. Each perspective incorporates a breeze.
But it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting older in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You received’t rush anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons take their time right here, and finally, so do you.
On the lookout for much more context on why in this way of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish foodstuff and journey in Italy. Well worth the go through prior to deciding to go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t approach your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill city with stone measures and unexpected murals and shadows that change because the day moves. Artists live here. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in very small courtyards. It feels far more similar to a temper than a desired destination.
Sunsets hit various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything below. You Allow it come to you.
Forbes captured this feeling in the recent piece on slow travel — how locations like this present a distinct kind of luxury. One which doesn’t have a selling price tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed click here walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.
Locorotondo is usually a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, however it benefits people who see. You wander the loop and after that wander it once again, seeing a little something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.
This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — within a “this really hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Component of a preservation job — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His webpage talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy below, that's what makes it unforgettable.
Gradual Is The brand new Good
Below’s the thing. It is possible to see Italy in weekly. You could strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?
Or will you forget about it by upcoming Tuesday?
Travel such as this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. But it really’s just one we’re last but not least willing to hear.
So go. Bit by bit. Opt for a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.