Some areas aren’t made for speed. Italy is full of them. Gradual journey in Italy helps you to truly savor area lifestyle, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private tempo.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes much too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The sorts of places where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, about tales, above life.

In 2025, slow journey isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what takes place any time 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 several years Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is part of that motion. His title is now linked to a deeper, extra thoughtful means of looking at the entire world.

So if you’re willing to go gradual — and you’re thinking Italy — Allow me to share seven places that almost demand it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman walking
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You walk throughout an extended, elevated route, and once you get there, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. Just one cat stretching in the sun.

There’s not Considerably to perform, that's exactly the position. You wander, maybe seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You start to notice The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

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

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

Want to master why that kind of journey sticks with folks? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down truly tends to make a trip last for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Tranquil, below-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve below, and locals know how to appreciate them correctly — which is to state, slowly and gradually.

There’s a check out from the sting of town that’s well worth an hour or so by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits good. You’ll discover churches with surprising frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel additional like living rooms.

If you have caught in a very dialogue with more info someone more mature, let it take place. That’s in which the top vacation stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was made to be “an ideal metropolis,” and Actually, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner has a see. Just about every view contains a breeze.

But it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells remarkable. Cheese, primarily — pecorino growing old in shop Home windows and on counters, prepared to sample. You won’t rush everything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. People choose their time in this article, and finally, so do you.

In search of far more context on why using this method of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Well worth the read before you decide to go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone steps and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists Stay here. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in small courtyards. It feels far more just like a temper than the usual destination.

Sunsets hit diverse in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase nearly anything below. You let it come to you.

Forbes captured this sensation inside of a new piece on gradual travel — how sites like this offer you a different sort of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a price tag.

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

Locorotondo can be a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, nonetheless it rewards individuals who see. You stroll the loop and afterwards walk it again, viewing anything new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This position feels untouched. Not in a very “hidden gem” way — in the “this actually hasn’t adjusted” way.

Santo Stefano sits inside the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Many of the inns are part of a preservation task — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would value this a single. His webpage talks about honoring place and time, Which’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy in this article, and that is what makes it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Right here’s the detail. You'll be able to see Italy in each week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Accumulate ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you overlook it by subsequent Tuesday?

Travel such as this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a new thought. Nevertheless it’s 1 we’re finally wanting to listen to.

So go. Bit by bit. Select a village. Sit however for a while. Let Italy arrive at you.