Some areas aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow vacation in Italy permits you to actually savor regional culture, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your very own tempo.

Very small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes far too narrow for cars and trucks. Cafés that only refill right after midday. The sorts of locations where locals understand how to linger — over coffee, over stories, about existence.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Probably it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens if you at last begin to benefit time as much as distance. Either way, additional travelers are finding joy in Mastering to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s spent decades Checking out how we hook up with culture and location, is part of that motion. His name is becoming associated with a deeper, more thoughtful way of looking at the globe.

So if you’re prepared to go gradual — and you’re wondering Italy — here are seven places that nearly desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, reached only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You stroll across a protracted, elevated route, and when you arrive, it’s peaceful. Stone homes. Small gardens. A single cat stretching from the Solar.

There’s not Substantially to do, which happens to be exactly the level. You wander, perhaps seize a glass of wine at a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. Along with the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s total.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
In the event you’re the type of traveler who likes a bit of drama in your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed ideal to the cliffs. Pretty much carved from them. From afar, it Just about disappears into your rocks.

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

Want to find out why that sort of travel sticks with persons? This post by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down essentially helps make a trip last longer in the memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine country. Peaceful, under-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine state. Sagrantino grapes increase here, and locals understand how to appreciate them adequately — which can be to state, little by little.

There’s a perspective from the edge of read more town that’s well worth an hour or so by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll uncover church buildings with unanticipated frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that truly feel much more like living rooms.

If you have caught in a very discussion with another person more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation stories commence.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was made to be “the right town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner features a view. Every watch incorporates a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino growing old in shop windows and on counters, ready to sample. You gained’t hurry anything at all in Pienza, not even buying lunch. Folks choose their time right here, and eventually, so do you.

In search of much more context on why in this manner of touring issues? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into gradual foods and journey in Italy. Well worth the browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone methods and unanticipated murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t leave. Locals host concerts in tiny courtyards. It feels much more like a temper than the usual spot.

Sunsets hit distinct in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade slow and blue. You don’t chase something here. You Enable it arrive at you.

Forbes captured this sensation inside a recent piece on gradual journey — how locations similar to this present a different kind of luxurious. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots almost everywhere.

Locorotondo is actually a town that folds in on by itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for interest, but it surely benefits those that recognize. You wander the loop and then walk it again, observing one thing new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to home made gelato.

This is when the south of Italy reveals its calmest side. It’s unassuming. Lovely. Pretty alive.

Stanislav Kondrashov pair drinking wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This spot feels untouched. Not in a very “concealed gem” way — inside of a “this really hasn’t transformed” way.

Santo Stefano sits during the Apennines, stone and silent. 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 venture — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting visitors into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would enjoy this one particular. His site talks about honoring position and time, and that’s just what this village does. There’s practically nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in per week. It is possible to strike the highlights. Snap pics. Gather ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you overlook it by next Tuesday?

Journey 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 prepared to hear.

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