Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

Darcy Melton | Nathaniel Mellor
  • 4.8 (29)
  • 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

    Headlines: Re-opened Terrace in Rome, the Gardens of Ninfa, and Ongoing Renovations in Florence and Naples

    In this epsiode we talk about some newly opened sights, the Belvedere Antonio Cederna, a public terrace in Rome with a panoramic view of the Colosseum and the Garden if Ninfa, an English-style garden in Cisterna di Latina, a town south of Rome. We also discuss the renovations that will be ongoing at Giotto's Bell Tower in Florence and at the Teatro Sannazaro in the Chiaia neighborhood of Naples. Plus we talk about the collapse of the "Lover's Arch" near Lecce and some new metro stops in Rome.  If you're looking for where to stay in Rome, here are some recommendations Palazzo Cardinal Cesi: Expedia | Booking Trastevere Roma | UNA Esperienze: Expedia | Booking Palazzo Montemartini Rome: Expedia | Booking If you're looking for where to stay in Florence, check out the hotels FH55 Hotel Calzaiuoli: Expedia | Booking Albergo Firenze: Expedia | Booking Hotel La Scaletta Al Ponte Vecchio: Expedia | Booking If you're looking for where to stay in Naples, here are a few of our recommendations Art Resort Galleria Umberto Expedia | Booking Starhotels Terminus Expedia | Booking Pinto Storey Hotel Expedia | Booking 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

    35 min

  2. 6D AGO

    Headlines: Strikes, Cancelled Strikes, Global Entry

    We're back with headlines and today we're jumping straight into the important bits: strikes in the rest of February and March! Likewise, we also wanted to mention the recent news that the United States has suspended Global entry but only for the United States, not for everywhere. So if you're still planning on purchasing or using Global Entry for Italy, you can do so! *Edit: We realized that Mr. Snuffleupagus is from Sesame Street and "heffalumps" are from Winnie the Pooh. Sorry for the mix-up! 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

    31 min

  3. FEB 20

    The Rise of Access to Travel as it Relates to Overtourism

    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

    1h 10m

  4. FEB 18

    The Four Pillars of Overtourism and Venice as a Case Study

    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

    52 min

  5. FEB 13

    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

  6. FEB 11

    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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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4.8
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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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