Some areas aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your very own pace.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The forms of locations exactly where locals learn how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual vacation isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to many years of speeding. Or possibly it’s precisely what happens if you finally begin to value time approximately distance. In any event, extra travelers are discovering joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and position, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the entire world.

So in case you’re willing to go slow — and you’re pondering Italy — Here's seven places that nearly demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your very first impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated path, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s entire.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built proper to the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into your rocks.

The rate Here's slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding by means of steep trails, along with the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to learn why that sort of travel sticks with people? This write-up by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down truly tends to make a visit previous lengthier in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine nation. Silent, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature listed here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them properly — and that is to say, bit by bit.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll locate church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.

If you get stuck inside a conversation with an individual older, Allow it take place. That’s the place the most beneficial vacation stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was created to be “the ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a watch. Just about every look at includes a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals choose their time right here, and eventually, so would you.

Looking for far more context on why by doing this of traveling issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and travel in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that shift because the day moves. Artists Reside listed here. Writers take a look at and don’t depart. Locals host live shows in little courtyards. It feels additional just like a mood than a location.

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

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish travel — how sites similar to this offer you a distinct type of luxurious. One that doesn’t come with a rate tag.

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

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, observing something new each time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Beautiful. Quite alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — preserving the past alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s absolutely nothing flashy here, that is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?

Journey similar to this click here — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new idea. But it surely’s a single we’re ultimately ready to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Go with a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Allow Italy arrive at you.