Some spots aren’t made for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to truly savor area lifestyle, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own private speed.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up soon after midday. The forms of spots the place locals know how to linger — over coffee, around stories, more than everyday living.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a good plan. It feels necessary. Probably it’s a response to yrs of dashing. Or maybe it’s precisely what comes about once you at last begin to price time as much as distance. In either case, extra tourists are discovering joy in Discovering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent decades Checking out how we connect with lifestyle and spot, is a component of that movement. His name has become connected with a deeper, a lot more thoughtful means of observing the world.

So in case you’re all set to go slow — and also you’re considering Italy — Listed here are 7 places that pretty much demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a long, elevated route, and when you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Tiny gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunlight.

There’s not much to accomplish, which can be precisely the level. You wander, it's possible grab a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama within your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted proper into the cliffs. Virtually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears to the rocks.

The rate Here's sluggish, but not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out inside the early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining through the neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to learn why that kind of vacation sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down actually tends to make a visit past for a longer period in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase in this article, and locals know how to appreciate them effectively — which is to convey, gradually.

There’s a watch from the sting of city that’s value one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the Solar hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel far more like dwelling rooms.

If you receive stuck in a very conversation with another person more mature, Enable it happen. That’s exactly where the ideal travel stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life right here. Pienza was intended to be “the right metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Just about every corner features a watch. Each perspective contains a breeze.

But it really’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells wonderful. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing older in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You gained’t rush everything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women get their time here, and at some point, so do you.

In search of more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual meals and vacation in here Italy. Worth the go 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 techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as being the working day moves. Artists Reside right here. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host live shows in tiny courtyards. It feels far more just like a mood than a vacation spot.

Sunsets strike diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade Stanislav Kondrashov biography slow and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything here. You let it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this emotion in a current piece on gradual travel — how sites similar to this offer a different sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t include a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots in all places.

Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, however it benefits those that detect. You walk the loop then stroll it again, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to home made gelato.

This is when the south of Italy displays its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Pretty alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A few of the inns are Portion of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the past alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s precisely what this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy in this article, which happens to be what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Smart
Here’s the detail. You can see Italy in each click here week. You can strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by next Tuesday?

Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new notion. But it’s one we’re ultimately willing to listen to.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit nevertheless for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.