Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

Nathaniel Mellor | Darcy Melton
  • 4.8 (15)
  • PLACES & TRAVEL
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Only A Bag - An Italy Travel Podcast

New episode every Wednesday! Since 2016 Nathaniel and Darcy have been bouncing in and out of Italy sporadically, and since 2019, they've been in Italy full-time. In the past few years, they've learned the ins-and-outs about traveling and living in Italy, and they hope to share that information with you. Even though this podcast focuses on Italy, the most of the general information can be used anywhere in the world. We hope you enjoy!

  1. 1D AGO

    What is the Venice Carnevale? Masks, Costumes, and Pastries

    Nathaniel has had about four cups of coffee, so please bear with him as he and Darcy jump into the world of the Venice Carnavale. I can hear you now, your questions coming to me: What is the Carnavale? Why is it in February, one of the worst times to go to Italy (or best, if you're on a budget!)? What are the little fried pieces of Heaven called "fritelle"? And most importantly, I want a mask, where do I get one? Well, this episode has you covered! It covers everything you need to know, and some things that are just nice to know. Plus: Where to buy authentic masks: La Bauta Atelier Marega La Bottega Dei Mascareri San Marco 596 Fritelle (or, Pastry Shops): Majer Tonolo Rizzardini Dal Mas Pasticceria Toletta (Next door at the Bar all Toletta has great (and cheap) sandwiches!) Rosa Salva Thank you all so much for listening! Darcy and Nathaniel Only A Bag www.onlyabag.com

    1h 13m

  2. MAR 5

    Venice Revisited: Theme Park, Pickpockets, and Finger Food

    In this episode we unpack (pun intended) all that we learned on our recent trip to Venice. How do you avoid pickpockets? What are cicchetti? Can you really buy a glass of wine for €1.50? And some important rules to follow while visiting, like don't sit on the church steps! Stay tuned for articles on Venice and more coming soon to onlyabag.com. If you're planning your visit to Venice (or anywhere), you can help out the podcast by using our affiliate links with  ⁠Booking⁠, Expedia⁠, and ⁠Agoda⁠. Thank you all so much for listening!

    1h 5m

  3. FEB 19

    How To Live In Italy: Work Visa and Retirement Visa

    In a continuation of the mini-series on living in Italy, today brings us to the work visa, the retirement visa, and the working holiday visa. In this episode, we dive into why the work visa isn't as easy to get as a student visa, how to apply for it, and how to apply for other types of permits that will allow you to work in Italy (such as the Blue Card). As we mention towards the end of the episode, we highly encourage you to find a recruiter or an agency that helps with this in order to increase your chances of success. As two other booking keeping notes, we have an updated website and this time we've added in what SHOULD be some subtle ads. Please let us know if you visit the website and feel bombarded by ads, that shouldn't be the case. We will also be taking a break on Wednesday, February 26th while we visit Venice for the Carnavale. Thank you all so much for listening! www.onlyabag.com Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/onlyabag.com Links: Blue Card: https://www.apply.eu/BlueCard/ Blue Card Information: https://immigration-portal.ec.europa.eu/eu-blue-card/italy_en Work Visa Information: https://visaguide.world/europe/italy-visa/long-stay/work/ Elective Residency Information: https://visaguide.world/retirement-visa/italy/ Working Holiday Visa: https://visaguide.world/europe/italy-visa/long-stay/working-holiday/

    1h 9m

  4. FEB 12

    How To Live In Italy: Renting An Apartment

    If you're thinking about moving to Italy and studying or working here, then one of the first steps is securing housing. While this might sound dry, trying to find an apartment in Italy can be one of the most rage-inducing aspects of living here, but it can also be one of the most exciting. In this episode, we break down what to expect, what to look out for, what the lengths of a contract are, where to find apartments, and even how to get acodice fiscale. We mentioned a few of the websites that we use which are: immobiliare.it idealista.it casa.it housinganywhere.com And if you'd like to support Only A Bag, you can do so by using our affiliate link to sign up for Trusted Housesitters (if housesitting is something you'd like to explore!). If you want to look at and compare the different costs of living in Italy, you can use Numbeo. You can find us on onlyabag.com, Instagram, or BlueSky.

    1h 3m

  5. FEB 5

    Can You REALLY Buy A House In Italy For 1 Euro?

    The 1 euro house project has been talked about in countless articles, on the news, and spread across social media. So, can you really buy a house in Italy for 1 euro? Sort of. What most people don't mention are the extra costs like taxes, fees, and renovation costs. Plus, did you know about the renovation timeline a homeowner has to adhere to? In this episode we lay out the details of buying a "1 euro house" and the alternative, buying an inexpensive house in Italy "regular style." In this episode we mention two great resources. Idealista article: "1 euro houses in Italy: the villages still in the spotlight in 2025" by Flavio Di Stefano  One Euro Houses article: Map of 1 euro houses The HGTV show we mention is Fixer to Fabulous (during recording Darcy mistook this show for Home Town (a cuter show in her opinion)). If you'd like to support the podcast you can use our affiliate Booking link or Trusted Housesitters link. Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!  You can find us at ⁠⁠onlyabag.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠⁠.

    1h 12m

  6. JAN 29

    How to Live in Italy: Student Visa

    If you aren't related to an Italian and can't get the jus sanguinis visa, perhaps the easiest way to live in Italy is by acquiring a student visa. Can I go to college in Italy? Can I take courses taught in English? How much does it cost? In this episode we answer all of those questions and more. This episode is a part of our "How to Live in Italy" series where we dive into different visa options. It would mean so much to us to know if you liked this episode. Please check out our poll in the previous episode or contact us via email or through our website to tell us if you want to hear more on topics like this one, or if you prefer to hear about being a tourist and short term travel tips. If you don't want to commit to a year-long visa, like a student visa, but want to visit Italy on a tourist visa, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. We use ⁠Trusted Housesitters⁠* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money.  Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!  You can find us at ⁠⁠onlyabag.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠⁠.

    55 min

  7. JAN 22

    How to Live in Italy

    After a trip filled with good pasta, great gelato, and a wealth of national treasures, what could be more natural than wanting to live here? At least, that was our thought! In this episode, we look at four of the most common avenues for residency: jus sanguinis, work visa, student visa, and digital nomad visa. We will delve into each of these more in depth in later episodes (poll below, if you'd like to tell us which kind of episodes you prefer), but for now, he's a little bit of information to get that imagination started! And if you'd like to get your feet wet with living in Italy, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. We use Trusted Housesitters* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money.  Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!  You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

    1h 2m

  8. JAN 15

    Should I Take a Cruise in Italy?

    Planning on taking a cruise to/around Italy? Not sure what that entails? Struggling to see how it's possible given the fact many of the towns are land-locked? After Darcy talked to her mom about an upcoming trip to Italy, we were inspired to do a little digging into cruises to, from, and around Italy. Some are massive cruise ships with multi-port journeys, water slides, and endless buffets others are, in fact, ferries with an unassuming bar and restaurant that get you from point A to B. In this episode we get into the pros and cons of it all plus touch on what the environmental impacts of various transportation might be. If you’re planning on going to Rome in 2025, we highly recommend booking your hotels (and potentially even your flights) as soon as possible. If you’d like to help out Only A Bag, you can use our affiliate links marked with an asterisk.  For hotels, we tend to use Booking* since we’re already a part of their member program, but Expedia* also has a robust member program with similar prices on hotel rooms. For an aggregate that seems to offer slightly better deals across the board, we recommend checking out Agoda*.  And if you’ve always loved the idea of staying in Italy for an extended period and becoming part of the culture, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. While it does often entail taking care of someone’s pet, it can also be a gateway to seeing Italy in a totally new way. We use Trusted Housesitters* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money.  Lastly, if you’re already looking to book flights, we like to use the airline’s website, however, some aggregates do offer better deals, so we always recommend checking Expedia* or Booking* before purchasing.  Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!  You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

    1h 5m
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4.8
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

New episode every Wednesday! Since 2016 Nathaniel and Darcy have been bouncing in and out of Italy sporadically, and since 2019, they've been in Italy full-time. In the past few years, they've learned the ins-and-outs about traveling and living in Italy, and they hope to share that information with you. Even though this podcast focuses on Italy, the most of the general information can be used anywhere in the world. We hope you enjoy!

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