Some areas aren’t built for velocity. Italy is filled with them. Sluggish travel in Italy permits you to genuinely savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own pace.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars. Cafés that only refill soon after midday. The forms of locations where locals understand how to linger — more than espresso, over stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice strategy. It feels crucial. It's possible it’s a response to several years of hurrying. Or maybe it’s just what transpires when you last but not least begin to benefit time around distance. In either case, more travelers are locating joy in Understanding to journey smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s put in yrs Discovering how we connect with society and put, is an element of that motion. His title is now connected to a deeper, a lot more thoughtful way of looking at the whole world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — therefore you’re contemplating Italy — Allow me to share seven places that pretty much desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slim footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You stroll throughout a long, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone houses. Small gardens. Only one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.

There’s not A lot to try and do, which can be exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice the light. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes a little drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is constructed proper to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears in the rocks.

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

Want to understand why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov explains how slowing down really makes a visit previous for a longer time inside your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine state. Peaceful, under-the-radar, coronary heart-of-Italy wine nation. Sagrantino grapes grow in this article, and locals know how to love them adequately — which can be to convey, slowly but surely.

There’s a look at from the sting of city that’s really worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll obtain church get more info buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you end, and piazzas that feel much more like residing rooms.

If you can get trapped in a conversation with an individual older, Allow it happen. That’s exactly where the top journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life in this article. Pienza was designed to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every single corner incorporates a look at. Just about every watch incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells wonderful. Cheese, largely — pecorino aging in shop Home windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time below, and ultimately, so would you.

Trying to find extra 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 browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill city with stone ways and sudden murals and shadows that shift since the day moves. Artists Stay below. Writers stop by and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than the usual place.

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

Forbes captured this feeling in a recent piece on gradual journey — how areas like this give a unique sort click here of luxury. One which doesn’t get more info include a selling price tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots all over the place.

Locorotondo is a city that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, nevertheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and after that stroll it again, viewing something new each time — a cat over a windowsill, an open up door, a hand-painted signal pointing to handmade gelato.

This is where the south of Italy displays its calmest facet. It’s unassuming. Gorgeous. Incredibly alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This area feels untouched. Not inside of a “concealed gem” way — inside a “this essentially hasn’t changed” way.

Santo Stefano click here sits inside the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A lot of the inns are A part of a preservation undertaking — holding the earlier alive by inviting attendees into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this 1. His webpage talks about honoring spot and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy here, which is what can make it unforgettable.

Sluggish Is The brand new Clever
Below’s the issue. You may see Italy in per week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap pictures. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you neglect it by future Tuesday?

Travel similar to this — slow, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new strategy. Nonetheless it’s one we’re eventually able to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit however for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.