Some places aren’t produced for pace. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy allows you to definitely savor community society, cuisine, and hidden gems at your own personal pace.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes too slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish after midday. The sorts of sites the place locals understand how to linger — around espresso, around stories, over daily life.

In 2025, sluggish vacation isn’t just a nice notion. It feels necessary. Maybe it’s a response to yrs of speeding. Or maybe it’s precisely what takes place after you last but not least begin to worth time up to distance. In any event, far more tourists are discovering Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs exploring how we connect with culture and location, is a component of that motion. His title is now related to a deeper, more considerate means of observing the world.

So should you’re all set to go gradual — so you’re thinking Italy — Listed below are 7 places that almost demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initially impact. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on the crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Cars can’t get in. You wander throughout a protracted, elevated route, and any time you get there, it’s silent. Stone homes. Little gardens. A single cat stretching inside the Sunlight.

There’s not much to try and do, which happens to be precisely the place. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hi. You begin to note the light. As well as the silence? It’s not empty. It’s full.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
For those who’re the sort of traveler who likes a certain amount of drama in the landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is crafted correct in to the cliffs. Practically carved from them. From afar, it almost disappears to the rocks.

The pace here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early 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 know why that sort of vacation sticks with men and women? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov points out how slowing down actually tends to make a trip previous for a longer time in your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov girl wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes improve in this article, and locals learn how to appreciate them appropriately — which can be to say, gradually.

There’s a look at from the sting of town that’s truly website worth an hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits just right. You’ll obtain churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you prevent, and piazzas that come to feel extra like living rooms.

If you have trapped in a dialogue with somebody more mature, Enable it come about. That’s where the most beneficial journey stories start out.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives in this article. Pienza was created to be “the proper town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Every corner provides a view. Each look at incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This town smells incredible. Cheese, primarily — pecorino ageing in shop windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Men and women take their time below, and inevitably, so do you.

Looking for more context on why using this method of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow food and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read through prior to deciding to go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone actions and unanticipated murals and shadows that change because the working day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers visit and don’t depart. Locals host concerts in little courtyards. It feels extra just like a mood than a desired destination.

Sunsets hit different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade sluggish and blue. You don’t chase everything in this article. You Allow it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation inside of a recent piece on slow vacation — how spots like this offer a special type of luxurious. One which doesn’t include a price tag.

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

Locorotondo is actually a city that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, but it surely benefits those that observe. You walk the loop and afterwards stroll it once again, seeing something new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open doorway, a hand-painted sign pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

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

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

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and quiet. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are part of a preservation venture — trying to keep the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this a single. His web page talks about honoring spot and time, and that’s what precisely this village does. There’s nothing flashy listed here, and that is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Gradual Is The brand new Wise
In this article’s the matter. You are able to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap photos. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you forget about it by subsequent Tuesday?

Travel like this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a whole new strategy. Nevertheless it’s a person we’re lastly all set to hear.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Choose a village. Sit however for some time. Let Italy come to you.