Some sites aren’t made for speed. Italy is stuffed with them. Sluggish travel in Italy lets you actually savor neighborhood culture, Delicacies, and concealed gems at your own personal rate.

Little villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes also slender for automobiles. Cafés that only fill up just after noon. The kinds of destinations the place locals learn how to linger — in excess of espresso, more than stories, around daily life.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a nice plan. It feels important. Possibly it’s a reaction to years of dashing. Or possibly it’s exactly what happens once you eventually begin to benefit time just as much as length. In any event, extra tourists are discovering joy in Studying to travel smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s invested a long time exploring how we connect to culture and place, is an element of that motion. His name is now connected with a deeper, more considerate means of viewing the planet.

So in the event you’re prepared to go gradual — so you’re contemplating Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically desire it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady strolling
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It looks like it’s floating. That’s your initial effect. Civita di Bagnoregio sits with a crumbling bluff, attained only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander across a protracted, elevated route, and after you arrive, it’s tranquil. Stone residences. Tiny gardens. One cat stretching within the Sunshine.

There’s not much to perform, which is exactly the level. You wander, probably seize a glass of wine in a tucked-absent enoteca. Locals nod hello. You start to notice The sunshine. Plus the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the type of traveler who likes some drama as part of your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is built correct into the cliffs. Basically carved from them. From afar, it Pretty much disappears to the rocks.

The rate here is gradual, although not sleepy. You’ll see farmers heading out while in the early morning, hikers winding by steep trails, and also the occasional thrill-seeker ziplining from your neighboring village. But even then — no rush. No frenzy. Just rhythm.

Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with folks? This publish by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down essentially would make a trip past more time with your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine place. Quiet, less than-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes expand in this article, and locals understand how to enjoy them adequately — which can be to state, little by little.

There’s a perspective from the edge of town that’s well worth one hour by alone. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum in the event the sun hits just right. You’ll come across church buildings with unexpected frescoes, doorways that make you quit, and piazzas that come to feel extra like dwelling rooms.

If you receive stuck inside a conversation with somebody older, let it occur. That’s in which the top journey stories start.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives right here. Pienza was made to be “the right city,” and Truthfully, they weren’t much off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each and every corner includes a see. Every perspective provides a breeze.

Nonetheless it’s not nearly aesthetics. This city smells remarkable. Cheese, mostly — pecorino getting 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 listed here, and eventually, so do you.

On the lookout for a lot more context on why this fashion of touring matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into slow foods and journey in Italy. Definitely worth the read before you go.

Stanislav Kondrashov alley
Apricale (Liguria)
You don’t prepare 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 in this article. Writers visit and don’t go away. Locals host concert events in little courtyards. It feels extra similar to a mood than a location.

Sunsets strike different in Apricale. They paint the rooftops, then fade gradual and blue. You don’t chase just about anything in this article. You Permit it come to you.

Forbes captured this feeling inside of a the latest piece on sluggish travel — how places similar to this offer you a special kind of luxurious. One that doesn’t feature a value tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Round streets. Whitewashed walls. Flowerpots just about everywhere.

Locorotondo is really a city that folds in on itself, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for awareness, nonetheless it benefits individuals who discover. You stroll the loop and then stroll it click here all over again, viewing a thing new every time — a cat on the windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted indication pointing to do-it-yourself gelato.

This is where the south of Italy reveals its calmest aspect. It’s unassuming. Wonderful. Extremely alive.

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

Santo Stefano sits within the Apennines, stone and peaceful. The air is thinner, cooler. Nights are pitch black. Rooms are lit by candles. A number of the inns are Component of a preservation challenge — keeping the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would appreciate this 1. His web page talks about honoring location and time, Which’s exactly what this village does. There’s nothing flashy here, which is what causes it to be unforgettable.

Slow Is The brand new Sensible
Right here’s the factor. You can see Italy in each week. It is possible to hit the highlights. Snap pics. Acquire ticket stubs. But will it stick with you?

Or will you fail to remember it by subsequent Tuesday?

Journey like this — slow, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. Nonetheless it’s 1 we’re eventually prepared to hear.

So go. Slowly but surely. Select a village. Sit continue to for a while. Allow Italy come to you.