Some destinations aren’t designed for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slim for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots in which locals learn how to linger — in excess of coffee, more than tales, over lifetime.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant notion. It feels essential. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or even it’s precisely what comes about whenever you eventually begin to price time about length. In any case, much more travelers are locating joy in Understanding to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested several years Discovering how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate way of seeing the planet.

So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven spots that virtually desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You walk across a lengthy, elevated path, and if you get there, it’s quiet. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching while in the Solar.

There’s not Significantly to try and do, that is exactly the position. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi there. You start to notice the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
When you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.

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

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with people today? This put up by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically would make a trip final for a longer time within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature below, and locals learn how to appreciate them appropriately — which can be to state, slowly and gradually.

There’s a watch from the edge of town that’s worthy of an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that experience more like dwelling rooms.

If you will get caught in a conversation with an individual older, let it take place. That’s where by the most effective travel tales start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was meant to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner incorporates a look at. Each and every perspective contains a breeze.

But it really’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in shop Home windows and on counters, able to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People acquire their time right here, and inevitably, so do you.

In search of much more context on why this fashion of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more like a mood than the usual desired destination.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything here. You Enable it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation in the current piece on sluggish journey — how spots like this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.

Locorotondo can be a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it rewards those who detect. You walk the loop then wander it once again, seeing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to selfmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Extremely alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in the “this basically hasn’t altered” 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 web site talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s just what exactly this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Intelligent
Here’s the thing. You can see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh strategy. But it surely’s a single we’re finally wanting to listen to.

So go. Slowly but surely. Go with a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Allow Italy more info arrive at you.