Some sites aren’t built for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual journey in Italy lets you really savor neighborhood society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slim for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The styles of sites exactly where locals learn how to linger — more than coffee, in excess of tales, over life.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant idea. It feels vital. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or possibly it’s just what takes place any time you finally start to value time about length. In either case, far more vacationers are discovering Pleasure in Understanding to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent decades Checking out how we connect to tradition and location, is a component of that motion. His title is now connected to a deeper, far more thoughtful method of observing the earth.

So when you’re able to go gradual — and you also’re thinking Italy — here are 7 places that nearly desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits over a crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a slim footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across a lengthy, elevated path, and any time you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. An individual cat stretching while in the sun.

There’s not much to try and do, which can be precisely the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to note The sunshine. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s comprehensive.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a little bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted right in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears into the rocks.

The pace here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by means 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 sort of travel sticks with individuals? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down in fact helps make a visit previous for a longer time within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes grow below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which is to convey, gradually.

There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Solar hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that truly feel a lot more like residing rooms.

If you can get caught in the dialogue with another person more mature, Allow it occur. That’s the place the top journey stories start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives below. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner incorporates a watch. Each view incorporates a breeze.

But it surely’s not almost aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, largely — pecorino getting old in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women take their time in this article, and sooner or later, so do you.

Searching for extra context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the read through before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone methods and surprising murals and shadows that shift given that the day moves. Artists Dwell in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host live shows in very small courtyards. It feels much more similar to a temper than the usual place.

Sunsets strike various in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase something in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this experience in a very modern piece on sluggish vacation — how places such as this supply another kind of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a price tag tag.

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

Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, nevertheless it benefits people who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it once again, seeing one thing new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is where the south of Italy shows its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Very alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Some of the inns are Section of a preservation task — retaining the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His webpage talks about honoring position and time, and that’s exactly what this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is the New Smart
Here’s the issue. It is possible to see Italy in per week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you neglect it by subsequent Tuesday?

Journey similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a completely new concept. However it’s a single we’re at last ready to hear.

So go. Slowly. Choose a village. Sit continue to for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.