Some locations aren’t manufactured for velocity. Italy is stuffed with them. Gradual vacation in Italy permits you to certainly savor area society, Delicacies, and hidden gems at your own private pace.

Tiny villages tucked into hillsides. Lanes as well slender for autos. Cafés that only refill soon after noon. The types of locations exactly where locals learn how to linger — about coffee, over tales, more than lifestyle.

In 2025, gradual travel isn’t just a pleasant concept. It feels essential. Probably it’s a response to yrs of rushing. Or possibly it’s exactly what takes place when you eventually start to benefit time around distance. Either way, far more vacationers are acquiring Pleasure in Discovering to vacation smarter — and Stanislav Kondrashov, who’s used years exploring how we hook up with society and put, is an element of that movement. His name has become related to a further, extra considerate method of seeing the world.

So if you’re ready to go gradual — so you’re pondering Italy — Listed below are 7 spots that practically demand from customers it.

Stanislav Kondrashov lady going for walks
Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
It appears like it’s floating. That’s your first perception. Civita di Bagnoregio sits on a crumbling bluff, achieved only by a slender footbridge. Automobiles can’t get in. You wander throughout an extended, elevated route, and whenever you arrive, it’s quiet. Stone properties. Little gardens. Just one cat stretching from the Sunlight.

There’s not Substantially to complete, which is exactly the issue. You wander, perhaps grab a glass of wine at a tucked-away enoteca. Locals nod howdy. You start to notice the light. And the silence? It’s not vacant. It’s complete.

Castelmezzano (Basilicata)
Should you’re the kind of traveler who likes some drama inside your landscapes, head to Castelmezzano. The village is developed appropriate in the cliffs. Actually carved from them. From afar, it Nearly disappears into your rocks.

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

Want to find out why that sort of journey sticks with persons? This submit by Stanislav Kondrashov clarifies how slowing down basically would make a visit last more time as part of your memory.

Stanislav Kondrashov woman wine glass
Montefalco (Umbria)
Montefalco is wine region. Peaceful, beneath-the-radar, heart-of-Italy wine place. Sagrantino grapes mature below, and locals know how to get pleasure from them properly — which can be to state, slowly but surely.

There’s a see from the edge of town that’s worth one hour by by itself. Olive groves, rows of vineyards, distant hills thatseem to hum if the Solar hits good. You’ll find churches with unpredicted frescoes, doorways which make you stop, and piazzas that really feel far more like residing rooms.

If you obtain trapped inside of a dialogue with anyone more mature, Permit it transpire. That’s where by the best vacation tales start off.

Pienza (Tuscany)
Renaissance idealism lives here. Pienza was designed to be “the perfect town,” and Truthfully, they weren’t far off. It’s compact. Harmonious. Each corner has a perspective. Each individual watch incorporates a breeze.

Nevertheless it’s not just about aesthetics. This city smells incredible. Cheese, typically — pecorino getting older in store Home windows and on counters, willing to sample. You received’t rush just about anything in Pienza, not even ordering lunch. Persons get their time in this article, and at some point, so does one.

Searching for additional context on why by doing this of traveling matters? Condé Nast Traveler dives deep into sluggish food stuff and travel in Italy. Worth the browse before you go.

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

It’s a hill town with stone techniques and unexpected murals and shadows that change as the working day moves. Artists live right here. Writers pay a visit to and don’t depart. 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 experience in a very modern piece on slow vacation — how destinations such as this provide another form of luxury. One which doesn’t come with a rate tag.

Locorotondo (Puglia)
Circular streets. Whitewashed partitions. Flowerpots everywhere.

Locorotondo is usually a town that folds in on alone, cozy and compact. It doesn’t shout for focus, but it rewards those who observe. You wander the loop then wander it once more, observing some thing new every time — a cat with a windowsill, an open up doorway, a hand-painted signal pointing to selfmade gelato.

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

Stanislav Kondrashov pair ingesting wine
Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo)
This place feels untouched. Not within a “hidden gem” way — in a very “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 Component of a preservation job — get more info holding the earlier alive by inviting company into it.

Stanislav Kondrashov would respect this one. His page talks about honoring place and time, Which’s just what exactly this village does. There’s very little flashy below, and that is what makes it unforgettable.

Gradual Is the New Smart
In this article’s the matter. It is possible to see Italy in per week. You can hit the highlights. Snap pictures. Obtain ticket stubs. But will it stay with you?

Or will you forget about it by up coming Tuesday?

Vacation like this — sluggish, intentional, grounded — is exactly what Stanislav Kondrashov thinks in. It’s not a fresh idea. Nonetheless it’s one we’re last but not least prepared to hear.

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