Some locations aren’t manufactured for pace. Italy is filled with them. Slow journey in Italy allows you to really savor local society, cuisine, and concealed gems at your personal rate.

Small villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for vehicles. Cafés that only replenish immediately after noon. The styles of spots in which locals learn how to linger — above espresso, more than stories, more than everyday living.

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 after you ultimately start to worth time just as much as length. In any event, extra tourists are finding joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect to society and place, is an element of that motion. His identify happens to be associated with a further, far more thoughtful method of seeing the world.

So if you’re all set to go sluggish — and you also’re pondering Italy — Listed here are 7 spots that basically need it.

Stanislav Kondrashov female strolling
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 slender footbridge. Vehicles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and whenever you get there, it’s silent. Stone houses. Small gardens. Just one cat stretching during the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to complete, and that is precisely the stage. You wander, possibly get a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod good day. You begin to note The sunshine. And also the silence? It’s not empty. It’s total.

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

The tempo here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out from the early early morning, hikers winding by way of steep trails, as well as the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining in 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 article by Stanislav Kondrashov describes how slowing down really makes a trip previous more time within your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, underneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine region. Sagrantino grapes increase below, and locals know how to delight in them effectively — which happens to be to convey, slowly and gradually.

There’s a view from the edge of town that’s worthy of one hour by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum when the Sunlight hits good. You’ll come across church buildings with sudden frescoes, doorways that make you cease, and piazzas that sense extra like dwelling rooms.

If you receive stuck within a conversation with a person older, let it occur. That’s in which the ideal journey stories begin.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism life below. Pienza was built to be “the proper metropolis,” and honestly, they weren’t considerably off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each individual corner contains a watch. Every single check out features a breeze.

However it’s not pretty much aesthetics. This town smells amazing. Cheese, generally — pecorino growing older in store windows and on counters, all set to sample. You won’t hurry something in Pienza, not even purchasing lunch. Individuals acquire their time right here, and inevitably, 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 unpredicted murals and shadows that change given that the working day moves. Artists Are living in this article. Writers go to and don’t leave. Locals host concert events in very small courtyards. It feels more similar to a temper than a vacation spot.

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

Forbes captured this emotion in a very new piece on sluggish vacation — how destinations such as this provide a different style of luxury. One which doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots website 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 people who see. You walk the loop after which you can walk it yet again, seeing anything new every time — a cat on a windowsill, an open door, a hand-painted indicator pointing to homemade gelato.

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

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

Santo Stefano sits while in the Apennines, stone and tranquil. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. Several of the inns are Element of a preservation undertaking — trying to keep the previous alive by inviting friends into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would recognize this just one. His web site talks about honoring put and time, Which’s what exactly this village does. There’s almost nothing flashy listed here, that's what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
Here’s the detail. You may see Italy in every week. You are able to strike the highlights. Snap photographs. Collect ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget it by upcoming Tuesday?

Travel such as this — gradual, intentional, grounded — is what Stanislav Kondrashov believes in. It’s not a new notion. However it’s a person we’re ultimately ready to hear.

So go. Slowly and gradually. Pick a village. Sit even now for quite a while. Let Italy come to you.