Some sites aren’t produced for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy enables you to really savor nearby society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own speed.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too slim for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, around stories, in excess of lifestyle.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a good thought. It feels critical. Perhaps it’s a response to many years of speeding. Or maybe it’s precisely what transpires when you last but not least begin to price time about length. In any case, much more travelers are locating joy in Finding out to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with tradition and location, is part of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate method of seeing the world.

So if you’re ready to go sluggish — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that basically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, arrived at only by a narrow footbridge. Autos can’t get in. You wander across an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.

There’s not A lot to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You begin to note The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

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

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

Want to understand why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit previous for a longer time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, more info under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to enjoy them appropriately — that is to mention, slowly.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s worth an hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits good. You’ll obtain church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.

If you have caught in a very discussion with another person more mature, Allow it come about. That’s the place the ideal journey stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “an ideal city,” and Actually, they weren’t significantly off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a check out. Each view contains a breeze.

But it surely’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, mostly — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t rush anything in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. People choose their time below, and finally, so do you.

Looking for additional context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the study 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 methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than a location.

Sunsets strike distinctive in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this experience in the latest piece on slow journey — how areas like this give a unique type of luxurious. One that doesn’t have a price tag tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is really a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely rewards people that discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it all over again, viewing a little something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov few ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not inside a “hidden gem” way — within a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Section of a preservation job — holding the previous alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this a person. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy below, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Good
Below’s the issue. You'll be able to see Italy in a week. You could hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

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

Vacation similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nevertheless it’s one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

So go. Bit by bit. Pick a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.