Some destinations aren’t created for pace. Italy is full of them. Gradual travel in Italy helps you to truly savor nearby tradition, cuisine, and concealed gems at your own pace.
Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up right after midday. The styles of places where by locals know how to linger — around espresso, about tales, about lifetime.
In 2025, slow travel isn’t just a pleasant strategy. It feels crucial. Probably it’s a response to many years of hurrying. Or possibly it’s just what comes about once you eventually start to value time about length. Either way, extra travelers are getting joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s expended yrs Discovering how we connect to culture and location, is an element of that movement. His title happens to be related to a further, far more considerate means of viewing the entire world.
So should you’re willing to go sluggish — therefore you’re considering Italy — Listed below are seven spots that almost demand it.
Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It seems like it’s floating. That’s your 1st impression. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a narrow footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You stroll throughout a protracted, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone residences. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching inside the Sunshine.
There’s not much to carry out, and that is precisely the point. You wander, it's possible seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello there. You begin to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.
Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
If you’re the kind of traveler who likes a bit of drama with your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed right in to the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Practically disappears in the rocks.
The speed here is slow, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding via steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining with the neighboring village. But even then — no hurry. No frenzy. Just rhythm.
Want to know why that kind of vacation sticks with individuals? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially can make a visit very last more time within your memory.
Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Silent, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine country. Sagrantino grapes increase right here, and locals understand how to take pleasure in them effectively — and that is to mention, gradually.
There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s really worth an hour or so by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll discover churches with unexpected frescoes, doorways which make you quit, and piazzas that experience far more like residing rooms.
If you receive stuck inside of a conversation with anyone more mature, Allow it take place. That’s where the very best vacation tales get started.
Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life listed here. Pienza was created to be “the best metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a view. Each see has a breeze.
Nevertheless it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells astounding. Cheese, generally — pecorino getting older in store windows and on counters, wanting to sample. You gained’t rush anything at all in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Men and women take their time in this article, and ultimately, so would you.
Searching for more context on why this way of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foodstuff and vacation in Italy. Worth the read before you go.
Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t system your day in Apricale. You drift.
It’s a hill town with stone ways and surprising murals and shadows that shift as being the working day moves. Artists Dwell right here. Writers go to and don’t go away. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels a lot more similar to a mood than a place.
Sunsets hit unique in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something right here. You let it arrive at you.
Forbes captured this emotion within a new piece on slow travel — how sites such as this present another type of luxury. One which doesn’t have a price tag tag.
Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots everywhere.
Locorotondo is a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for consideration, however it rewards individuals that observe. You wander the loop after which stroll it all over again, seeing something new each time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.
This check here is where the south of Italy displays its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Attractive. Extremely alive.
Stanislav Kondrashov few consuming wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not in the “concealed gem” way — within a “this basically hasn’t modified” way.
Santo Stefano sits from the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Evenings are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation task — holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.
Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this 1. His website page talks about honoring area and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s very little flashy listed here, which can be what causes it to be unforgettable.
Slow Is the New Good
In this article’s the matter. You could see Italy in a week. You could strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?
Or will you fail to remember it by following Tuesday?
Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a brand new concept. But it’s a single we’re finally ready to hear.
So go. Gradually. Choose a village. Sit still for a while. Let Italy come to you.