Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

How could we talk about Naples and not about the pastries? After all, this is why you listen to Only A Bag! After a few thousand years of outside rule, one of the few good things (which is a weird way of saying, "Thanks for leaving behind some of your food when you ruled over us with an iron fist.") that came from it is the introduction of pastries. Graffa from the Austrian krapfen, baba from the...

(I apologize for the late upload! I (Nathaniel) got back into town late and got my days mixed up!) Continuing the Naples theme, we delve into dinner time, street food (like the famous pizza portafoglio, or pizza folded into a triangle) and the most famous dish to ever come out of such a storied city: pizza not folded into a triangle. We mentioned a list of the best pizzerias in Italy which can be...

Welcome back to Staying in Naples as we delve into each of the neighborhoods, weighing pros and cons, and offering our insight into which part of the city might be best for you! We do want to mention that this is solely our opinion, of course. There's no "one best location for everyone" just as there's not hotel like that. However, we do try to give you as much actionable informa...

In these next two episodes, we cover where to stay in Naples. We both know the stress that comes with booking a hotel and combing through pages and pages of results, trying to figure out the difference in hotels through the grainiest of images. Then, who knows if the hotel you booked is even a hotel and not an Airbnb with the host in another city or country, trying to tell you via phone where the...

Naples is an incredible city, full of history, art, the best pizza in the world, and sense of magic in the smoggy air. Unlike Rome or other large Italian cities you may visit, Naples struggles to have comprehensive public transportation in the city center. But never fear, in this episode we're talking about how to use public transit in Naples, a special look out reachable by funicular ,and muc...

Plus train stations, bus stations, and ports! Getting to your destination and accommodations can be the most stressful part of your trip, so we're breaking down exactly how to get to and from Naples. Don't worry it's pretty simple, but we've got all the tips to make it go even more smoothly. UPDATE: We recorded this episode when the US government had just shutdown. Since then, some...

In this episode we're continuing our "Italy in the Headlines" segment as we discuss the recent demonstrations and protests across Italy—some of which captured international headlines and attention. We also look into Bolzano's recent proposal to levy a "dog tourist tax", and we touch on Italy's new AI law—the first nation in the EU to pass one. If you'd like to s...

This week we're talking about headlines and news that might affect your trip to Italy. Much of this episode discusses the somewhat confusing new Entry/Exit System (EES) mandates that will affect everyone entering the Schengen Zone. We also touch on the upcoming October 2-3 train strike as well as the reinstatement of a public holiday for Saint Francis of Assisi. If you'd like to support th...

Picking up where we left off on Wednesday, we look at what you are entitled to when your flight is delayed in the States and which part of an international flight is covered by which country's laws. More importantly we jump into how to mitigate bad luck and flight delays, the difference in taking a European carrier and an American one, and whose fault it is when a flight is cancelled. Plus, we...

This week, we're talking about your rights as an airline passenger. There's so much to talk about that we're breaking it up into two parts. What are you guaranteed if your flight is delayed or cancelled? Who made the rules? And what to do if you use a mobility device and it's damaged or destroyed by the airline? (Regulations have changed as of October 2025 for what rights passenger...

In this episode, we're continuing our revisit to episodes from last year about flights! We'll tell you all of our best tips for making your flight to Italy as smooth and comfortable as possible, because let's be honest, drying out in recycled air in a tube in the sky... isn't the best part of vacation. But we've got you covered! As mentioned in this episode, if you're bring...

Darcy just got back from a trip to the US so we thought we'd tell you all of our best tips and heads-ups on how to make your trip as smooth as possible. This week, we're revisiting a couple of episodes from a more than a year ago: we're talking about flights! In this episode we're focusing on the airport. Do I have to take off my shoes? Why is that security line going faster? What...

As we bring this mini-series to a close, we discuss getting a phone plan that will work in Italy (I, Nathaniel, erroneously wrote that Episode 4 dealt with phone plans, however, that self-note was out of date; this is the episode we discuss the phone plans, I apologize for the confusion!), taking tours (and watching for any tour scams), and weighing the time constraints of tours and classes versus...

Today's episode delves into packing—though not in the same way our previous mini-series on packing for certain seasons did. In this episode, we discuss the basics of packing, how to pack a bag so it's comfortable to you, and most importantly, the type of bag to bring. We also discuss bringing any prescription medicines or pharmaceuticals into Italy, which includes downloading the form from...

Instead of putting the "kitchen sink" episode (or, the episode filled with smaller tips and pieces advice that had no where else to go that made sense) at the end of the mini-series, we decided to put it in the middle, that way it ties together with everything that came before it and that will come after it. As also mentioned in this episode (and the two coming out next week), we finally have new...

Continuing the mini-series on how to plan your trip, this episode delves into overplanning, setting a loose schedule, and protecting your mental health. Of course, it covers so much more, such as finding your hotel in a strange areas of town, needing a kitchen, and choosing where to book your hotel. As mentioned in the episode (multiple times), we finally have new microphones! Which means a MASSIV...

Our mini-series on planning your trip to Italy continues! Today we're talking about step two: picking a theme. This means deciding what kind of trip you want to have. Is it a beach trip? Are you foodie looking to eat your way across the country with cacio e pepe , arancini , and gelato? Or maybe you're interested in adventure or archaeology! We'll talk about the importance of setting p...

This Wednesday's episode launches the start of this mini-series on planning your trip to Italy. Step one: figure out just how big Italy actually is, and how long it takes you to get from point A to point B. In this episode, we'll also talk about considering ways to break up your trip and tips like booking a multi-city flight. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Onl...

Wrapping up this segment, we talk about the strikes that might affect your trip, the Venice Regatta (boat races), Jimmy Kimmel's Italian citizenship (though, mostly how it might change the Italian government's outlook on jus sanguinis), and the famed (or infamous) Bridge to Sicily/Messina Bridge. And if you’re headed to Italy this summer/fall—or already here—you can grab a ferry for 10% of...

This week we're talking about current events and news that may affect your trip this late summer and early fall. We'll tell you how to stay up-to-date on wildfires in Italy, why beaches are less crowded this year, and talk about instances of tourists behaving poorly in Italy's national parks. Important phone numbers: To report a fire call 115 For forest rangers call 1515 And if you’re...

Tying off this mini-series, we delve into Italy's least-consistent season: spring. While this episode still focuses on how to blend in and things to bring to keep you dry, we also loop in packing tips and advice since it can feel like you have to bring three seasons' worth of clothes if you come in the spring. As we talked about in the first episode, we realized in the course of making this that w...

Movies may have a lot of us believing that Italy is perpetually warm and sunny, existing in a summer-time golden hour, but don't be fooled, it gets cold! Winter in Italy can be brutal, at least for a girl from the southern US (that's me). In this episode we'll talk about what the locals wear in Italy from North to South and how to pack for a winter vacation in Italy. As we have repeate...

In this episode we talk about what to wear to blend in on your Italy vacation in the Fall. We also talk about how to pack for this shoulder season. Plan for both warm and cool weather and consider what part of Italy you'll be visiting, Sicily and Tuscany have pretty different weather in the Fall. Of course, the two main takeaways will always be: never buy a whole new wardrobe for Italy, and wh...

Whether you want to blend in as a local, or stay cool in the summer, this episode aims to answer most—if not all!—of your questions.  Of course, the two main takeaways will always be: never buy a whole new wardrobe for Italy, and whatever you own is perfectly fine! All of our tips on what to wear are to help you feel like you’re blending in with Italians and Italian life, however what’s most impor...

Many people will tell you not to visit Italy in August, we've been those people before (check out our previous episode if you're looking for reasons not to go to Italy in August). However, there are upsides to visiting in this dreaded travel period! In this episode we look on the positive side to tell you some of the bright spots about traveling to Italy in August. If you're craving a...