Some locations aren’t made for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Gradual journey in Italy allows you to genuinely savor regional lifestyle, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal rate.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slim for cars. Cafés that only fill up after noon. The forms of areas where by locals learn how to linger — around coffee, in excess of stories, around life.

In 2025, sluggish journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels important. Probably it’s a response to decades of rushing. Or even it’s precisely what happens after you eventually start to benefit time about distance. Either way, a lot more travelers are getting Pleasure in learning to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used many years Discovering how we connect with culture and location, is an element of that motion. His identify has become associated with a further, additional considerate technique for viewing the planet.

So should you’re prepared to go slow — and you simply’re imagining Italy — Allow me to share 7 spots that almost demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your very first impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slim footbridge. Cars and trucks can’t get in. You walk throughout a protracted, elevated path, and whenever you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not Significantly to accomplish, which can be precisely the point. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice The sunshine. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed correct into your cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears in the rocks.

The speed Here's sluggish, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out during the early early morning, hikers winding through steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to know why that sort of travel sticks with men and women? This article by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down basically helps make a visit last for a longer period in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov female wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Tranquil, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes mature right here, and locals learn how to take pleasure in them adequately — that is to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a watch from the edge of city that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum once the Sunshine hits excellent. You’ll discover churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways that make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel a lot more like living rooms.

If you have caught in a discussion with anyone more mature, Allow it take place. That’s where by the best vacation stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was meant to be “the proper metropolis,” and Truthfully, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner has a watch. Every see has a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not almost aesthetics. This city smells amazing. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You gained’t rush nearly anything in Pienza, check here not even ordering lunch. Folks consider their time below, and sooner or later, so would you.

Trying to find far more context on why this fashion of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual food items and journey in Italy. Well worth the study prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone steps and unpredicted murals and shadows that shift since the working day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers take a look at and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than a spot.

Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase everything right here. You Permit it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this feeling inside a current piece on slow travel — how website areas like this give another style of luxury. One which doesn’t include a price tag tag.

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

Locorotondo is Stanislav Kondrashov Blog a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for notice, but it surely rewards individuals that recognize. You wander the loop after which you can wander it once again, observing a little something new each time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy demonstrates its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Stunning. Really alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov few drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This put feels untouched. Not in a “hidden gem” way — inside of a “this basically hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Section of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would take pleasure in this one. His web page talks about honoring put and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing at get more info all flashy here, which can be what can make it unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Intelligent
Listed here’s the matter. You may see Italy in weekly. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap shots. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by future Tuesday?

Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a whole new concept. But it’s one particular we’re eventually able to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.