Some sites aren’t built for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy helps you to definitely savor community culture, cuisine, and hidden gems at your individual tempo.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill following midday. The styles of areas where by locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than tales, around lifetime.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good plan. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a response to several years of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what occurs after you ultimately begin to worth time approximately distance. Either way, much more travelers are finding Pleasure in Discovering to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested years Discovering how we connect with tradition and location, is an element of that movement. His title has become related to a deeper, more considerate strategy for observing the globe.

So in the event you’re all set to go gradual — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Here's seven places that basically demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You walk throughout a lengthy, elevated path, and when you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Tiny gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunlight.

There’s not A great deal to do, which is precisely the level. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine in a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You begin to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper in the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in to the rocks.

The rate here is gradual, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to find out why that kind of vacation sticks with folks? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly will make a trip previous for a longer time as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Silent, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes increase below, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them appropriately — that's to say, gradually.

There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s worthy of an hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits excellent. You’ll locate churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that feel a lot more like residing rooms.

If you get stuck in the discussion with another person older, Allow it come about. That’s where by the very best travel tales get started.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the right metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner contains a look at. Each perspective provides a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This town smells awesome. Cheese, primarily — pecorino aging in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry nearly anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People take their time here, and at some point, so would you.

Seeking extra context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone ways and unexpected murals and shadows that shift as being the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels far more like a mood than the usual location.

Sunsets hit distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase anything right here. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this feeling inside of a latest piece on gradual travel — how locations similar to this offer you a different form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a price tag.

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

Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, but it surely rewards individuals that observe. You stroll the loop then walk it once again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is when the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Very alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not within a “concealed gem” way — in a “this basically hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are Portion of a preservation project — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing at all flashy here, that's what more info can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Clever
Right here’s the thing. You can see Italy in per week. You could hit the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by future Tuesday?

Journey such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a completely new thought. Nevertheless it’s one we’re finally willing to listen to.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit nevertheless for some time. Let Italy arrive at you.