Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

We've talked about Carnevale and touched on aspects of visiting Venice, but until now, we didn't have dedicated episodes about the essential need-to-knows of visiting Venice. So this is it! In this episode we talk about the neighborhoods in Venice from our perspective and what area might best suit you. We also talk about neighboring Mestre (a popular and less expensive alternative for stay...

Subtitle: "Things you might not think are stressful that end up being stressful, or, yes it's stressful but maybe not as bad as you were thinking it was" Part 2 Continuing from the previous episode, we're talking about the hidden stresses of traveling and how to manage them. In this episode we're talking about so many things from what to do if you miss your train, to how to p...

Subtitle: "Things you might not think are stressful that end up being stressful" Part 1 In this episode we're talking about the importance of a working phone in a country that's reliant on it and how stress can creep up around finding restaurants. Because these can be two major stressors on any vacation, we give you all of the options and our advice for how to avoid and manage th...

Traveling in the rain can often mean unforeseen hurdles, new difficulties to navigate, and the unfortunate reality that everything you own will get wet. After a recent trip up to Naples, we both realized that we've come to change our minds on some rain gear such as rain jackets, and whether they're actually better than umbrellas. If you'd like to support us, but you don't have the...

As a sort of "spiritual successor" to April 2nd, 2025's " Tips for Traveling With Someone Else" , we wanted to sit down and discuss the common pitfalls and tips on how to avoid them when traveling with a group of any type. We talk about deciding what you want to see and eat, getting clear with your budget, and clarifying expectations. If you'd like to support us, but yo...

In this episode we're talking about several things that may affect your trip to Italy including January 2025 strikes, the new Trevi Fountain fee, Rome's new line C Metro stop, and (just for fun) Amazon drones. Here is a quick list of upcoming strikes we mention in this episode: - January 9 - airline/airport strike  This includes a national ground staff strike from 1-5pm, EasyJet's flig...

In this episode we're breaking down some of the headlines and Italian news stories you may have heard about recently. We're talking about food and a hot-button housing issue that affects just about everyone, so that means it's a long episode! In this episode we talk about how Italian cuisine has been added to UNESCO's "Intangible Cultural Heritage" list and the reactions...

This episode is a continuation of our last episode, a rerun of our first episode of 2025 "The Wide World of Italian Christmas Sweets (or, Wintertime Treats)." We hadn't planned on coming out any episodes this week, but then we thought better of it, it's the holiday season after all. We hope you're all enjoying the holidays or just chilling out at home! We'll be back next...

Last week we said that, because we're taking a week-long break for the holidays, we wouldn't be putting out any episodes this week, but then we thought "that's not the holiday spirit!" So, this episode is a rerun of our first episode of 2025, "The Wide World of Italian Christmas Sweets (or, Wintertime Treats)!" In fact, it's the first half of that hour-ish long...

WARNING: Sensitive Santa Claus data in this episode. If your kiddos are expecting a visit from Santa this year (and listening), this episode may not be appropriate. Today we're talking about the bones of St. Nicholas! These bones, entombed in Bari, exude a mysterious liquid and, according to legend, have done so for hundreds of years. We'll also talk about some of the other dark history re...

In today’s episode we’re talking about walking trees and holiday demons! First, we’re in a small town in Basilicata called Satriano di Lucania, where trees come to life and process through town as a part of their Carnevale celebration in February. The Walking Forest, or Foresta che Cammina, is a little-known celebration about reestablishing a relationship with the Earth and protecting the climate...

Carnevale in Italy doesn't always mean elaborate period costumes and papier-mâché masks, sometimes it means massive floats poking fun at political figures as well as confetti, stuffed animals, and candy being thrown into the crowd. As we mentioned in Wednesday's episode, one thing is for sure at a Carnevale celebration, it's a party. Today we're talking about Carnevale celebrations...

Carnevale is just around the corner, so let's talk about it! When is it? What is it? Well, that all depends on where you are. In Venice, Carnevale means Venetian masks, costumes, and comedy. Near Turin in Ivrea, it means historical, and very sticky, orange fights (yep, the citrus fruit). Wherever you are, Carnevale means festive food and a party. The official Venice Carnevale website is carnev...

In this episode we're continuing our discussion about visiting Italy in the winter. Today we're talking about how different cities and regions change during the cold months. What cities go along with business as usual and which turn to ghost towns? Are things closed in the winter? Does it get cold in southern Italy? In this episode we'll tell you all about it, so you can plan your trip...

It's wintertime in Italy and the most northern bits of Italy know how to make things festive and cozy. In this episode, we're talking about towns in the Italian Alps. These towns are great choices for an Italian winter vacation with skiing, snowshoeing, Christmas markets, mulled wine, and thermal baths. In case you want to look them up on your own, the towns we're talking about specifi...

In this episode we're talking about more recent news including a story that has struck people internationally about a family who were living off the grid in Abruzzo. We're also talking about the floods in the Friuli-Venzezia Giulia region which killed two people and forced hundred to evacuate. As well as an upcoming ban on e-scooter rental and new outdoor seating regulations in Florence. L...

This week we're talking about Italy in the news. In today's episode we'll talk about the upcoming strikes and how they could affect your trip. We'll also talk about the collapse of Torre dei Conti which tragically killed one person, the new deputy president of Tuscany, a landmark law which defines consent, and the ongoing saga with the bridge over the Straight of Messina. As mentio...

Finally, we have come to our conclusion! The end of the Naples miniseries, in which we wrap up the past few episodes into one! Just as in Wednesday's episode, I (Nathaniel) realize I'm also talking pretty quickly in this episode and I still apologize! In the future, we'll try to come back and re-record these for clarity! I hope Darcy's part is still enjoyable! If you'd like to...

Rolling up the next few episodes into one, this episode delves into the different neighborhoods, street food, and pastries. As a quick note, I (Nathaniel) realize I'm talking pretty quickly in this episode and apologize! Almost all of the Naples episodes were recorded back to back, so I started speaking quicker and less clearly. In the future, we'll try to come back and re-record these for...

Now we've arrived to the beginning of the end of the miniseries on Naples! For those of you who have been following along on this miniseries, you'll have heard most of this information already. This episode, and the next two, are "condensed" and designed to give all of the past 10~ episodes worth of information in 3. They're intended for those of you who don't have much t...

While Naples is certainly known for its seaside day trips, for those of you who are more interested in a bit of history and delving into the past, the area around Naples has far more than simply Pompeii. From the nearby first Greek city on mainland Italy, Cumae, to the no-longer-ruined palace in Caserta (rivaling that of Versailles), to the tomb of Virgil, this absolute plethora of non-water-centr...

So, we've sold you on Naples. Now the question is, where else can you go near Naples, and it's a valid question! Despite Naples' hectic, chaotic, caught-in-time feeling, it's surrounded by a gorgeous sea with a handful of islands and coastlines that cool down any summer trip! As we've mentioned in previous episodes, the farther south you go from Naples (until you hit Calabria,...

Still not sure what to do in Naples? No worries, we've got you covered! As we mention in both episodes, Naples has tons to do, it also just suffers from the unfortunate aspect of being under—or simply not—advertised. Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small perc...

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate! And to those who don't, happy random Friday in October! In this episode, Darcy takes us into the history of the Napoli Catacombs, as well as a few other spooky and haunted places! If you're curious about taking a walking tour, you can check out the links below! They are affiliate links, so we do make a small commission, which helps us keep the show g...

This might be the biggest question for any tourist to Naples: what can I do there? Well, tons! Unfortunately for Naples, it doesn't quite have anything that draw the imagination quite like Rome's Colosseum, or Florence's Duomo, but it still packed with history, artifacts, Egg Castles, weird automatons, and so much more! Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're i...