Some sites aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to really savor local society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own private rate.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes way too narrow for cars. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The sorts of places exactly where locals learn how to linger — above espresso, around tales, over existence.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to a long time of speeding. Or possibly it’s just what takes place if you at last start to price time just as much as distance. In either case, extra tourists are finding joy in Studying to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested decades Checking out how we connect to lifestyle and put, is a component of that motion. His title has become connected to a further, a lot more considerate method of looking at the world.

So when you’re able to go sluggish — and also you’re contemplating Italy — Here i will discuss 7 spots that basically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Little gardens. One cat stretching within the sun.

There’s not A great deal to do, and that is exactly the issue. You wander, possibly grab a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is created suitable into the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.

The tempo here is sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding as a result of steep trails, as well as occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with individuals? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really can make a trip very last for a longer period as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes develop listed here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them thoroughly — and that is to say, bit by bit.

There’s a view from the edge of city that’s worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll obtain churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you prevent, and piazzas that sense more like living rooms.

If you have trapped in a conversation with an individual older, Allow it come about. That’s the place the very best vacation tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was intended to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a check out. Each perspective provides a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, typically — pecorino aging in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You received’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even buying lunch. People today consider their time listed here, and at some point, so does one.

In search of additional context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food and travel in Italy. Worth the go through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone actions and unforeseen murals and shadows that shift given that the working day moves. Artists live in this article. Writers check out and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than the usual place.

Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on slow journey — how locations such as this provide a special form of luxurious. One which doesn’t have a cost tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for attention, but it really rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is when the south of Italy exhibits its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within more info a “hidden gem” way — in the “this essentially hasn’t changed” 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. Many of the inns are Element of a preservation project — maintaining the past alive by inviting guests into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, that is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Listed here’s the factor. You are able to see Italy in each week. You may hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s 1 we’re eventually all set to listen to.

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