Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

Darcy Melton | Nathaniel Mellor
  • 4.8 (28)
  • PLACES & TRAVEL
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

New episodes every Wednesday and Friday! Your guide to Italy travel! Hosts Darcy and Nathaniel—two tourists-turned-locals—offer advice like how to get off the beaten path (like going south), how order coffee like a local (at the bar), and most importantly, where to find authentic Italian food and gelato. Visit Italy with us every week from home or in the car. Whether you’re planning an Italy vacation or looking to move here, Darcy and Nathaniel guide you along the way. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and check out our website onlyabag.com for articles! Thanks for listening!

  1. 4D AGO

    Off the Beaten Path: The Alchemist's Door in Rome and The Magic of Turin

    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 | ⁠Booking⁠ Trastevere Roma | UNA Esperienze (in the Trastevere neighborhood): ⁠Expedia⁠ | ⁠Booking⁠ Palazzo Montemartini Rome (near Termini train station): ⁠Expedia⁠ | ⁠Booking⁠ If 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 | Booking Opera35 Boutique Hotel (in the city center): Expedia | Booking The 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

    36 min

  2. 6D AGO

    Off the Beaten Path: The Pyramid of Cestius in Rome

    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 | Booking Trastevere Roma | UNA Esperienze (in the Trastevere neighborhood): Expedia | Booking Palazzo Montemartini Rome (near Termini train station): Expedia | Booking The 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

    30 min

  3. FEB 6

    Common Scams and Things That Are Not Scams in Italy: Part 2

    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

    50 min

  4. FEB 4

    Common Scams in Italy: Part 1

    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

    42 min

  5. JAN 30

    Headlines: Banned Scooters, Limited Seating, and Cyclone Harry

    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 - Vueling Friday 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 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

    37 min

  6. JAN 28

    Headlines: Greenland is Threatened, ICE at Olympics, and the Exchange Rate

    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

    35 min

  7. JAN 22

    Venice Condensed: Part 2 | Food, Tours, Shopping, and More on Getting Around

    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 Garzoni S. Maria del Giglio to/from Salute Dogana 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

    41 min

  8. JAN 21

    Venice Condensed: Part 1 | Neighborhoods, Islands, and Getting There/Around

    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

    42 min
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About

New episodes every Wednesday and Friday! Your guide to Italy travel! Hosts Darcy and Nathaniel—two tourists-turned-locals—offer advice like how to get off the beaten path (like going south), how order coffee like a local (at the bar), and most importantly, where to find authentic Italian food and gelato. Visit Italy with us every week from home or in the car. Whether you’re planning an Italy vacation or looking to move here, Darcy and Nathaniel guide you along the way. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and check out our website onlyabag.com for articles! Thanks for listening!

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