Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

Why do so many people recommend not visiting Italy in August? Is it the heat, the train line maintenance, the packed beaches? Yes. Looking for a reason to vacation in Italy anytime makes sense, but August? We'll break down all the difficulties associated with traveling this month and explain why so many Italians are confused by international travelers visiting in August. If you enjoyed this ep...

As Part 2 of the "Instead of Positano, Try Scario" episode, we focus on the beaches. Scario has some of the most beautiful, cleanest, and picturesque beaches in the area—so if you're looking for a laidback beach vacation, consider Scario! Scario is a beautiful seaside town on the Cilento Coast about three hours south of Positano. It's less expensive, less crowded, and with far more Italian tourist...

If you're looking for a calmer, more laidback version of Positano, you can visit Scario! This is the first episode of our "Instead of" series, in which we offer alternatives to tourist hot-spots. Scario is a beautiful seaside town on the Cilento Coast about three hours south of Positano. It's less expensive, less crowded, and with far more Italian tourists and town-natives, it's more authentically...

In this episode we'll tell you all you need to know for visiting Positano. Is it really that expensive? Can you visit Positano on a budget? What is the best way to get there? What's the beach like? And more? From living in Italy and hearing what other people thought of Positano, we had specific expectations, but it wasn't exactly what we thought it would be. You'll have to listen t...

Just an hour south by car from the famed Amafi Coast is the lesser known (to anyone but Italians) Cilento Coast. The Amalfi Coast is incredible—there is a reason it's so heavily touristed. But let's be honest, it's packed with tourist and expensive! If you're looking for an Italian beach town with fewer tourists, more "Italian" Italian food, and protected forests and coas...

It's our 100th episode! We're celebrating by mixing things up a bit. In this episode we address some of the major headlines in the news about Italy and talk about what they mean for your trip this summer. We're talking about transportation strikes across the country and the increased price for public transit in Rome. We're also talking about new selfie rules at the Uffizi in Floren...

Everything you need to know for traveling to Rome in just over an hour! This is an update to an episode with a similar title we put out almost two years ago. In this episode we talk about whether Rome is safe, how to get there, getting around, three of our favorite markets, music festivals, and how to stay cool in the heat. Edit: In the episode we mention the app "Waidy Wow" for locating...

Overtourism has been in the news recently with protests in Spain, Portugal, and Italy as residents come together to resist the soon-to-be-coming wave of tourists this summer. While we also believe overtourism is a problem, we don't believe it's entirely the tourists' fault. So, how can you help? In this episode we offer seven pieces of advice that may help you be a more mindful tourist...

From getting there and getting around, to food and museums, we're covering everything you need to know for visiting Florence! How many museums can I see in one day? What is classic Fiorentini food? What's the best way to get to and from the airport? We'll answer all of that and more! Here are some helpful links that we mention in this episode: AT Bus App : App for purchasing tickets wi...

Does Florence have an off-season? What's it like on the south side of the city? Where can you find good food without having to spend €20 on a plate of pasta? Where can I look for leather goods that are high-quality? In this episode we answer those questions and more! After visiting Florence back in February we intended to record this episode in the winter, but alas we did not, so here it is no...

Trigger warning: In this episode, we talk about femicide, assault, women in the workplace, abortion, IVF, and adoption. We do our best to put trigger warnings where appropriate so you can skip ahead. If this episode isn't for you or if you're not in the headspace to listen, we completely understand! This episode is a bit of a departure from our normal topics, but it's something we care...

In this episode we’ll tell you all you need to know about renting a car in Italy. "Do I need an international driver's permit? Should I rent a car for a wine tour? I can't drive manual, can I rent an automatic?" From personal experience and in-depth research we’ve got you covered from getting a permit, renting a car, road rules, and everything in-between. One thing we forgot to m...

Looking for "hidden Italy"? This may be the place you're looking for! Immaculate coastline, tiny mountain towns that non-Italians rarely find, fresh, local food, and rosemary which may be the key to everlasting youth. In this episode, we're talking about the Cilento (pronounced chee-len-toe). Head south from the heavily-touristed Amalfi Coast to find it. The Cilento is a National...

It wouldn't feel right to put out a bunch of episodes centered on how to live in Italy without also mentioning some of the things that can make Italy a difficult country to live in. We don't go super in-depth into any of these topics, instead just offering some anecdotal and experience-based information (with actual research as well, to be clear) on freedom of speech/press, Corruption and...

Deviating slightly from the episode we expected to make, this week we're talking about the Amalfi Coast. We've touched on it slightly before, but with the summer season starting to ramp up, we wanted to talk about how to get to this popular summer destination, things to look out for, some pastries to try, and how to not get trapped out there! If you'd like to check out some articles to...

To round up our series of episodes about visas, today we're talking about the digital nomad and remote worker visas. They are possibly the most complicated of the visas available mostly because there is less information about to how receive these visas compared to others like the student visa or elective residency visa. For more information on all of the visas we've talked about you can check out...

Jure Sanguinis Update: A major "thank you" to one of our listeners for pointing out a recent decree from March 28th that affects birthright citizenship. Under the new ruling, the only people who are applicable are those with Italian parents who were born in Italy, those with Italian parents who lived in Italy for a minimum of 2 consecutive years before giving birth to you, and those with...

We have fit everything we possibly could about this incredible city into this episode! How do I get there? What is there to do? Why is it called "The City of Caves?" Should I even bother going? Yes! We'll tell you all about it. In this episode we talk about everything you need to know to visit, but the city's history is vast, so we only touch on that a little. But we'll be do...

Picking up where we left off in the previous episode, we continue to cover setting and managing expectations, especially as they surround food, sharing responsibilities, and getting clear on what you want to do and see (or don't want to). Thanks so much for listening! You can check out articles on ⁠⁠onlyabag.com⁠⁠ with new articles coming out all the time. If you liked the podcast, please leav...

Traveling with someone else can be an amazing opportunity to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It can also be incredibly stressful if you've never traveled before, or traveled together before. In this Part 1 of 2, we discuss setting expectations around a budget and transportation. Thanks so much for listening! You can check out articles on ⁠⁠onlyabag.com⁠⁠ with new articles coming out all...

"Is tap water safe to drink in Italy?", "What's the deal with tipping?", "Do they expect me to use the bidet in a public bathroom?", and perhaps most importantly, "Why does the alarm go off in a public toilet when I pull that thin cord?". In this episode we answer all that and more! We also discover how incensed Darcy is about a rage-bait Instagram video...

After our recent trips to Venice and Florence we thought we'd share some of our hard-learned tips that have become second nature. Can you be fined for sitting in the wrong seat on a train? What do you do if you get separated while traveling? We will also talk about setting expectations, the importance of communicating your needs to your travel partner(s), and how crucial it is to bring two pairs o...

Nathaniel has had about four cups of coffee, so please bear with him as he and Darcy jump into the world of the Venice Carnavale. I can hear you now, your questions coming to me: What is the Carnavale? Why is it in February, one of the worst times to go to Italy (or best, if you're on a budget!)? What are the little fried pieces of Heaven called "fritelle"? And most importantly, I wa...

In this episode we unpack (pun intended) all that we learned on our recent trip to Venice. How do you avoid pickpockets? What are cicchetti? Can you really buy a glass of wine for €1.50? And some important rules to follow while visiting, like don't sit on the church steps! Looking for Hotels in Venice? Check out our favorites below! These are affiliate links, and if you book through them, we r...

In a continuation of the mini-series on living in Italy, today brings us to the work visa, the retirement visa, and the working holiday visa. In this episode, we dive into why the work visa isn't as easy to get as a student visa, how to apply for it, and how to apply for other types of permits that will allow you to work in Italy (such as the Blue Card). As we mention towards the end of the ep...