Since I was thirteen I wanted to travel the world. When I finally set off, five years later, I went with three bags strapped across my back. I went with a fairly flawed idea of how to travel, what was important and what wasn't. Since then I've traveled a number of times, most recently I've been abroad for a year and a half. I've learned how to travel, how to pack, and most importantly, how to enjoy myself. This podcast focuses on how to travel in Italy. It's the country I have the most experience in since I now live here, but most of the information can be used across the world. Enjoy! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/onlyabag/support
In this episode we're continuing our conversation about overtourism. Why are there so many tourists? Can we, as tourists, do anything to curb the problems? Why do many locals want more restrictions or bans on short-term vacation rentals? We'll answer those questions and talk about how the problems with over tourism can be solved and who can solve them.In this episode we talked about the Venice Entry fee and how it's affected tourism. You can check out Darcy's article "What is the Venice Entry Fee in 2026?" to see how it may affect your trip. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
This week we're talking about overtourism. Yes, we've talked about overtourism before, but we wanted to do a bit of a deep dive. Is this just a buzz word thrown around, or does it actually mean something? Is it getting worse, or is it just something news outlets say in order to get clicks? And most importantly, who is at fault, and is it the tourists themselves?So strap in! In today's episode we're breaking down what "overtourism" means, what contributes to it, and why it's a problem. We're also talking about how Italians feel about tourism and whose fault overtourism is, plus we've got statistics aplenty! So let's get into it.In this episode we talked about the Venice Entry fee and how much money it has made in the last few years. You can check out Darcy's article "What is the Venice Entry Fee in 2026?" to see how it may affect your trip. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
As part of our new series, which we'll be doing one week per month, we're talking about an off the beaten path site in Rome and several in Turin. Because this episode publishes on Friday the 13th, we thought we'd talk about something a little otherworldly: alchemy and magic! First we'll tell you the tale of the Alchemist's Door in Rome and where to find it. Then we're talking about Turin, it's mythical alchemical caves and where to find the so called "centers of light and dark magic" in the city. If you're looking for a hotel in Rome, here are three of our recommendations:Palazzo Cardinal Cesi (near the Vatican): Expedia | BookingTrastevere Roma | UNA Esperienze (in the Trastevere neighborhood): Expedia | BookingPalazzo Montemartini Rome (near Termini train station): Expedia | BookingIf you're looking for a hotel in Turin, here are three of our recommendations:DoubleTree by Hilton Turin Lingotto (in the Lingotto neighborhood): Expedia | Booking (this hotel is in a former Fiat factory with a former race track on the roof)Hotel Urbani (near Porta Nuova train station): Expedia | BookingOpera35 Boutique Hotel (in the city center): Expedia | BookingThe hotel links above are affiliate links. We don't represent any of these companies, and book a hotel using one of the affiliate, we receive a small commission which supports the podcast!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
We're starting a new series called "Off the Beaten Path." This is our first episode of the series and we're talking about the pyramid of Cestius in Rome. If you've been to Rome, you might have seen it and wondered why there's a pyramid in the middle of the city. Well, wonder no longer! We'll also briefly talk about the cemetery for non-Catholics in Rome and where the steps of the Vatican came from. To see when the pyramid of Cestius is open to the public:https://soprintendenzaspecialeroma.it/luoghi/piramide-di-caio-cestio/.If you're looking for a hotel in Rome, here are three of our recommendations:Palazzo Cardinal Cesi (near the Vatican): Expedia | BookingTrastevere Roma | UNA Esperienze (in the Trastevere neighborhood): Expedia | BookingPalazzo Montemartini Rome (near Termini train station): Expedia | BookingThe hotel links above are affiliate links. We don't represent any of these companies, and book a hotel using one of the affiliate, we receive a small commission which supports the podcast!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
We're continuing our discussion about common scams you may encounter on your trip to Italy. In this episode we're talking about scams you may encounter on transportation, on buses and in taxis as well as when purchasing tickets. We're also talking about things that may seem likes scams but actually are not. We'll answer questions like "All of the Italians are staring at me. Is that normal?" and "The hotel asked me to pay the city tax in cash, was that a scam?" As with our previous episode, we'll tell you how to spot and avoid these common scams and warn you about things that may feel weird, but are totally normal. To see our episodes on scams in article form, check out Darcy's article "15 Common Scams (and not Scams) in Italy and How to Avoid Them" on onlyabag.com. For clarity and transparency, we recommend booking train tickets directly through the train provider like TrenItalia and Italo. However, there are sometimes good deals on Omio*, a third-party site we use. It's best to compare prices by looking at TrenItalia's Italian language site (we recommend TrenItalia over Italo) and Omio in your native language. We recommend looking into travel insurance for your trip. This can cover things like lost or stolen credit cards, missed connections, rental car damage and more. World Nomads* is a great place to start when looking for travel insurance. *Links with an asterisk are affiliate links. We do not work for or represent these companies. If you purchase services through these links we receive a small commission.If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
This week we're talking about common scams, crimes, and general funny business to look out for while traveling in Italy. In this episode we're specifically talking about scams you may encounter on the street and at restaurants and cafes. We'll tell you how to spot and avoid them, as well as what to do if one happens to you. To see our episodes on scams in article form, check out Darcy's article "15 Common Scams (and not Scams) in Italy and How to Avoid Them" on onlyabag.com. We recommend looking into travel insurance for your trip. This can cover things like lost or stolen credit cards, missed connections, rental car damage and more. World Nomads* is a great place to start when looking for travel insurance. *This is an affiliate link, and while we recommend World Nomads, we do not work for or represent the company. If you purchase insurance through World Nomads we receive a small commission.If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
Today we're talking about headlines that might affect your trip to Italy. We're talking about things like the one-month ban on Lime scooters in Rome, Florence limiting outdoor seating, the cyclone the recently devastated parts of Sicily and Calabria, and February transportation strikes.*Nathaniel erroneously said that Niscemi was a hilltop town on a cliff, which isn't true. It's on a hill with a slight drop off which cleaved away, making it look like it was originally built on a partial cliff. Information on the February strikes: Monday Feb. 16: 24 hr National air transport strike - ITA Airways Monday Feb. 16: 24 hr National air transport strike - VuelingFriday Feb. 27: 24 hr National railway strike - Trenitalia (This one isn't mentioned on the podcast as it looks like it was recently added.) - This train strike will be from 9:00pm Feb. 27 to 9:00pm Feb. 28. More info can be found on the official Trenitalia website. The guaranteed long distance train list can be found here. If you're worried about missing your trip or things going wrong, we highly recommend travel insurance. Check out World Nomad* where you can find travel insurance for natural disasters, airline strikes, missed connections for flights, rental car damage, and more. *We do not represent World Nomad this is an affiliate link. If you purchase insurance through this link, we receive a small commissionIf you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
This week we're back with headlines. There have been a number of jarring and terrifying headlines recently, so we wanted to look at those and offer a little insight into how Italians might be viewing them. In this episode we address how international news could affect your trip to Italy and for the Americans who listen, we wanted to answer the potential question of "Am I welcome in Italy?".If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
This episode is a continuation of our essential need-to-knows about visiting Venice. In this episode we're talking about food, tours, shopping, and more details on getting around, including the cheapest way to experience a boat ride across the Grand Canal.We'll answer questions like "What are cicchetti?," "Should we take a walking tour?," and "How do we know if the souvenirs we buy are really made in Venice?" In this episode we talk about taking a traghetto across the Grand Canal for €2. There are several points where you can do this, but not all of them run frequently or consistently. Here are the departure and arrival points that we recommend:San Tomà to/from O GarzoniS. Maria del Giglio to/from SaluteDogana to/from San Marco (Vallaresso)The city of Venice charges an entry fee to tourists staying outside of Venice and coming into Venice for the day. Here is a link to dates when those fees apply: official Municipality of Venice website. That fee is €5 for booking the entry ahead of time and €10 for 3 days within the entry period or day of. More on this in our next headlines episode.For the map of the vaporetto, you can click here. The map is in Italian and English, and while it doesn't have a timetable, it allows you to plan out when a vaporetto will be helpful! Below are some of the links we mentioned to hotels, tours, and more. Any link with an asterisk (*) is an affiliate link. Even though we don't represent the company, we receive a small commission if you use the link to book your stay. We mentioned the hotel we stayed at in Venice between the Ponte Realto and Piazza San Marco which is the "Graspo de Ua".*Another hotel that we've heard amazing things about is the "Hotel ai Mori d'Oriente".* We also mentioned the super-swanky in the previous episode JW Marriott hotel* if you want to stay on this private island. And for the even more swanky, like, almost TOO swanky, we talked about the hotel on San Clemente.* If you want to take a tour while in Venice, check out Viator.com*.Food tours in Venice*Gondola rides and tours*Tours in Murano*Likewise, if you're thinking about taking the train into Venice, you can check out Omio* for tickets. They're an aggregate with an English-speaking help desk which can make any hiccups easier to solve. You can read more about Venice in our articles on onlyabag.com!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 staying while visiting Venice) and surrounding islands. Finally we'll explain how to get there and the basics of getting around via vaporetto (ferry/water-bus) and by walking. Below are some of the links we mentioned to hotels, timetables, and more. Any link with an asterisk (*) is an affiliate link. Even though we don't represent the company, we receive a small commission if you use the link to book your stay. We mentioned the hotel we stayed at in Venice between the Ponte Realto and Piazza San Marco which is the "Graspo de Ua".*Another hotel that we've heard amazing things about is the "Hotel ai Mori d'Oriente".* We also mentioned the super-swanky JW Marriott hotel* if you want to stay on this private island. And for the even more swanky, like, almost TOO swanky, we talked about the hotel on San Clemente.* For the map of the vaporetto, you can click here. The map is in Italian and English, and while it doesn't have a timetable, it allows you to plan out when a vaporetto will be helpful! The city of Venice charges an entry fee to tourists staying outside of Venice and coming into Venice for the day. Here is a link to dates when those fees apply: official Municipality of Venice website. That fee is €5 for booking the entry ahead of time and €10 for 3 days within the entry period or day of. More on this in our next headlines episode.Likewise, if you're thinking about taking the train into Venice, you can check out Omio* for tickets. They're an aggregate with an English-speaking help desk which can make any hiccups easier to solve. You can read more about Venice in our articles on onlyabag.com!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 2Continuing 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 plan your time properly, to how to send postcards. We even talk about the possibility of losing your wallet and what to do when that happens. Thank you to SIM Local for sponsoring this episode! SIM Local is a UK-based eSIM—or electronic SIM—company offering affordable rates for SIM cards that function in the EU. Plans start at $4 for 1 Gig of data to $52.25 for Unlimited data for 15 days. It's an easy way to be sure you're connected throughout your trip. Use our exclusive code "ONLYABAG" for 10% off or click this link. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
Subtitle: "Things you might not think are stressful that end up being stressful" Part 1In 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 that stress.Big news! We have our first sponsor, SIM Local! SIM Local is a UK-based eSIM—or electronic SIM—company offering affordable rates for SIM cards that function in the EU. Plans start at $4 for 1 Gig of data to $52.25 for Unlimited data for 15 days. It's an easy way to be sure you're connected throughout your trip. Use our exclusive code "ONLYABAG" for 10% off or click this link.Thank you so much to SIM Local for sponsoring this episode! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com or on Instagram. Likewise, if you'd like to read our "Retrospective" of the year, you can check it out on Substack: "A Year in Retrospect: Ai Tempi Belli". Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 time to hunt down all of the affiliate links scattered across the website, a listener suggested (thank you!) putting them all in one place, so we have! Head over to www.onlyabag.com/affiliate-links and you can see all of the companies we have partnerships with and you can use them to support Only A Bag (which we deeply appreciate). If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only A Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, or on Instagram.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 you don't have the time to hunt down all of the affiliate links scattered across the website, a listener suggested (thank you!) putting them all in one place, so we have! Head over to www.onlyabag.com/affiliate-linksand you can see all of the companies we have partnerships with and you can use them to support Only A Bag (which we deeply appreciate). If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 flight crew will strike for 24 hours , Vueling's flight attendants will strike from 10am-6pm, there will also be a 24 hour baggage handling strike at both Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa.Flights should be guaranteed from 7-10am and 6-9pmHere is a link to a list of guaranteed flights. - January 12-13 (from 3am Jan 12 to 2am Jan 13) - Trenord in Lombardia (region in the north including Milan) here are links to Trenord's info for what to do in case of a strike and guaranteed train list.- January 13 - National Taxi strike - January 13 - 24 hour Bus strike in Umbria (Busitalia Sita Nord)- January 31 from 1pm to 5pm - Verona Villafranca Airport air traffic control strike If you enjoyed this episode, please follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review!If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 that has garnered. We also discuss the housing crisis happening in Italy, and what it means for Italian residents as well as tourists. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review!If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 week with brand new episodes, happy holidays! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 episode. The second half is coming to you on Friday. Happy holidays! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 related to St. Nick including how his bones came to be in Bari, why there are bits of him in Venice, and tales from his life in Anatolia (modern day Antalya, Turkey). If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 for future generations. Then we go to the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region to talk about three Krampus parades, called Krampuslauf. These parades have ended for 2025, but there are a few other Krampus events, you can find a list of them on the Trentino da Vivere website.The official website for the Walking Forest (Foresta che Cammina) in Satriano di Lucania, Basilicata is carnevaledisatriano.it. Here is a link to the the weeks long volunteering opportunity for people 18-30 years old, Volontari da tutta Europa per la Foresta che Cammina. This page is only in Italian, so you may need a translator in your browser. Websites with more info for each of the Krampus celebrations we talk about are listed below:Val di Fassa - visittrentino.infoSkiing Krampuses at Dolomiti Superski - dolomitisuperski.comToblach - south-tirol.comKastelruth - suedtirol.infoIf you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 in eight different towns across the country. Here is a list in case you'd like to look them up for yourself. Under each is a link to the official website of the celebration as well as a hotel suggestion (the hotel suggestion is an affiliate link, and if you book through our link, we receive a small commission).Cento in Emilia RomagnaOfficial Site: carnevalecento.comHotel suggestions: Monteborre (Cento) and Hotel De Prati (Ferrara) Foiano della Chiana in Tuscany Official Site: carnevaledifoiano.itHotel suggestions: Boutique Hotel L'Imperatrice (Foiano) and Vogue Hotel Arezzo (Arezzo)Viareggio in TuscanyOfficial Site: viareggio.ilcarnevale.comHotel suggestionss: Villa Tina Hotel (Viareggio) and Hotel Ilaria or Hotel Palazzo Alexander (in Lucca) Ronciglione in Lazio Official Site: carnevaledironciglione.orgHotel suggestions: La Canonica dei Fiori - Anna Fendi Country House (Ronciglione)Putignano in Puglia Official Site: carnevalediputignano.itHotel suggestions: Petrantiche - Albergo Diffuso and Dimora Clementina (Putignano)Acireale in Sicily Official Site: carnevaleacireale.euHotel suggestions: Baroque (Acireale) and Habitat Boutique Hotel (Catania)Fano in Marche Official Site: carnevaledifano.comHotel suggestions: Siri Hotel and Hotel De La Ville depandance di Hotel Augustus (Fano)Milan in LombardiaOfficial Site: comune.milano.itHotel suggestions: Hotel Milano Castello and Palazzo Segreti (Milan) If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 carnevale.venezia.it. The official Ivrea Carnevale website is storicocarnevaleivrea.it. To learn more about Carnevale pastries in Venice, check out Darcy's articles Traditional Venetian Pastries for Carnival (or Carnevale) and 7 Best Places to Eat Frittelle in Venice.Looking for Hotels in Venice? Check out our favorites below! These are affiliate links, and if you book through them, we receive a small commission. Ai Mori d'Oriente in Cannaregio - A great area for restaurants and bars, a little quieter as well.Acca Hotel in San Polo - Convenient, between San Marco and the Santa Maria train station. Aqua Palace in Castello - Near the Arsenale Water ShowHotel A La Commedia in San Marco - The heart of the city around Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) where the main festivities of Carnevale happen. Palazzo Veneziano in Dorsoduro - More residential with lots of great wine bars and places for small bites. Looking for Hotels in Ivrea? Because it's a small town, there are very few, but here are our suggestions. Including three in nearby towns which are drivable to Ivrea.3T Boutique Hotel in Ivrea ReArduinoIvrea in Ivrea Villa Soleil in Colleretto GiacosaIl Talucco B&B in ValdengoHotel Cavour Et Des Officiers in BardIf you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 fully prepared. If you're planning to visit Venice this winter, check out Darcy's article When Does Venice Flood? Want to learn more about the holiday lights in Salerno? You can visit their website here. The cities and towns that we talk about in this episode are:Venice (Veneto)Florence and Siena (Tuscany)Perugia (Umbria)Rome (Lazio)Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi Coast (Campania)Taranto and Locorotondo (Puglia)Palermo (Sicily) If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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 specifically are: - Gressoney-Saint-Jean (Aosta)- Gressoney-La-Trinité (Aosta) - Livigno (Sondrio)- Tirano (Sondrio)- Bormio (Sondrio)- Bressanone/Brixen (Trentino-Alto Adige) - Merano (Trentino-Alto Adige) - Bolzano (Trentino-Alto Adige) We also talk about the Treninio Rosso in Tirano, a scenic train through the Italian Alps, as well as Dolomiti Superski, a project connecting ski facilities, hotels, rental, etc. in 12 towns in the Dolomite mountains. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony. Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag
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. Lastly, we touch on the Winter Olympics which will be held in Milan and Cortina this February. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky. For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and NathanielOnly A Bag
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 mentioned in the episode some train journeys and flights are guaranteed during strikes. Here you can find guaranteed trains with Trenitalia and Italo. Here is a list of guaranteed flights for the strike on November 28. Darcy mistakenly said that flights are guaranteed from 6pm to 7pm on the 28th, but the window is actually 6pm to 9pm according to the National Civil Aviation Authority. Flights departing between 7 and 10 a.m. as well as from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m are guaranteed. Flights are trickier to deal with during a strike, in my opinion, if you plan to travel on November 28 keep a keen eye on any travel apps you use for updates. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can check out all of our affiliate links here! If you book through any of them, we receive a small commission, and it helps to keep us going! You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and NathanielOnly A Bag
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 support us, but you don't have the time to hunt down all of the affiliate links scattered across the website, a listener suggested (thank you!) putting them all in one place, so we have! Head over to www.onlyabag.com/affiliate-linksand you can see all of the companies we have partnerships with and you can use them to support Only A Bag (which we deeply appreciate). 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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 clarity! However, since Darcy's just returned to town (yay!) we won't have time before they go live. I hope Darcy's part is still enjoyable! If you'd like to support us, but you don't have the time to hunt down all of the afiliate links scattered across the website, a listener suggested putting them all in one place, so we have! Head over to www.onlyabag.com/affiliate-links and you can see all of the companies we have partnerships with and you can use them to support Only A Bag (which we deeply appreciate). 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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 time to delve into 5 hours of episodes, or those of you who came to this podcast after we published the miniseries so you can start with the condensed and go to the long-form if you find something interesting. 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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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-centric ruins and castles can make any trip educational and interesting! 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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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, no disrespect) the seaside tends to get less busy and more local, so if you have a few extra days and you'd like to spend the night somewhere, check out the Cilento Coast! 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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 going! Walking Tour: Naples Mysteries and MythsWalking Tour: Folklore and Superstitions Walking Tour: Murals, Catacombs, and the Sanita DistrictOfficial Links for things mentioned in the episode:Museo SanseveroCatacombsFontanelle CemeteryBelow 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 percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYRCentro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9iSpanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3YChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 French (and earlier Polish) baba, and sfogliatella from the nuns of Conci die Marini and then through a pastry chef who purchased the recipe and the rights to sell it (which is far more wholesome!). And, of course, like any other sweet thing over the course of history, someone looked at it and asked the age-old question, "Yes, but can it also be fried?". With that, we introduce you to the wonderful world of Neapolitan pastries! If you're planning your trip to Naples and would like to help out Only A Bag, you can do so by booking through one of the links below! Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQMMid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR Centro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOflMid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4VUpper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i Spanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPNMid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfWUpper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y ChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzfIf you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
(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 found here: https://www.50toppizza.it/50-top-pizza-italia-2025/ If you're looking to plan your stay in Naples, consider some of the hotels below! They're either ones we've stayed in and enjoyed, or ones we've heard/read great things about. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR Centro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i Spanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y ChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 information as possible, whether you're a solo traveler, traveling with kids, or traveling with a partner. In this episode, we mention that we'll provide links to some hotels that we like, or hotels we've heard good things about but haven't gotten around to staying at yet. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR Centro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i Spanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y ChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 key is. So, we try to help you avoid that situation! In this episode, we mention that we'll provide links to some hotels that we like, or hotels we've heard good things about but haven't gotten around to staying at yet. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees. Train StationBudget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR Centro StoricoBudget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i Spanish Quarter/ToldeoBudget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y ChiaiaBudget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGeMid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZiUpper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker's. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 much more! The hotel we mention in the Galleria Umberto is "Art Resort Galleria Umberto".* If you're looking for other specific recommendations, we liked both "NH Napoli Panorama"* for its incredible view and "Relais Della Porta"* for that "old world" feel. All links marked by an asterisk (*) are affiliate links and every time you purchase through one of them, we make a small percentage of the total sale. We appreciate your support! If you'd like to support the podcast, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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 air traffic controllers have reportedly stopped working, are calling out sick, etc. as they will no longer receive backpay. Our statement thanking them was not intended to leave anyone out, but at the time, to draw attention to a vital part of the travel and transportation industry once again working without pay. Hungry for more info about Naples? Check out our articles on onlyabag.com!At the top of the episode we mention some major changes that will affect airline passengers who use a wheelchair or mobility device in the US. Here are a few links you may find helpful if you're affected by these changes. To file a complaint you can go to the USDOT website or call 1-800-778-4838What to Do If You Have a ProblemUSDOT Complaint FormAirline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of RightsFor getting to Naples, you can book flights and trains through our affiliate links (Flights/Trains) and we'll receive a small percentage of Omio's share. We appreciate your support! If you'd like to support the podcast, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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 support the podcast, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! Or use our affiliate links (at no cost to you) for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. Thank you so much to all of you who have donated! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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 the podcast, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! Or use our affiliate links (at no cost to you) for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. Thank you so much to all of you who have donated! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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 touch on facial recognition in airports, specifically the use of technology like FaceBoarding. Looking for flight tips? Check out Nathaniel's article 7 Best Tips for International Flights!Thank you so much to all of those who have donated! If you'd like to support the podcast, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! Or use our affiliate links (at no cost to you) for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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?Looking for flight tips? Check out Nathaniel's article 7 Best Tips for International Flights!Thank you so much to all of those who have donated! If you'd like to support the podcast, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com! Or use our affiliate links (at no cost to you) for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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 bringing any prescription medication with you, legally, you do need to fill out a form and have it signed by your doctor. Here is a link to the Ministry of Health website where you can download the form: https://www.salute.gov.it/new/en/tema/medicinali-stupefacenti-e-precursori-di-droghe/travelling-internationally-medicines-containing/ Thank you all to those who donated to help us purchase the new microphones! It means so much to us; your support helps us to improve the podcast!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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 documents do I need to board the plane? We'll answer all of that and get into our best tips: stay hydrated and eat a snack! Thank you all to those who donated to help us purchase the new microphones! It means so much to us; your support helps us to improve the podcast!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening!x Darcy and Nathaniel
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 free time! Lastly, thank you all to those who donated to help us purchase the new microphones! It means the world to us! If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and tours/classes with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and NathanielOnly A Bag
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 this website (linked here) which does require your doctor to partially fill out. We'd also like to extend an enormous "thank you" to everyone who donated and made the new microphones a reality. Thank you all so much!If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and experiences with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and NathanielOnly A Bag
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 microphones! Which means a MASSIVE "thank you" to everyone who donated and made this a reality. Seriously, thank you all so much. This also means that [hopefully] we will sound better, but there's also going to be a slight adjustment period. If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or advice, please feel free to reach out at onlyabag.com.If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and experiences with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and NathanielOnly A Bag
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 MASSIVE "thank you" to everyone who donated and made this a reality! Thank you! This also means that [hopefully] we will sound better, but there's also going to be a slight adjustment period. In our free time as frequently as we can, we'll be playing with the settings and getting familiar with how they work, but if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or advice, please feel free to reach out at onlyabag.com.In this episode Darcy mentions a website for finding LGBTQIA+ friendly hotels. We couldn't find the exact site Darcy was thinking of, but here are some other similar sites. https://www.mygayhotels.com/en/region-gay-hotels-it.html https://www.worldrainbowhotels.com/europe/italyhttps://www.travelgay.com/ If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and experiences with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening.x Darcy and NathanielOnly A Bag
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 priorities and how that can eliminate stress during your Italy vacation. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and follow Only a Bag wherever you listen to podcasts! If you'd like to get in touch, you can send us a message on onlyabag.com, by email at onlyabagpodcast@gmail.com, on Instagram, or Bluesky.For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.Want to help the podcast? You can use our affiliate links for booking hotels, transportation, and experiences with booking.com, omio.com, and viator.com. You can also donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com to keep the podcast going! As always, thank you all so much for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
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