Podcast
The Italy Travel Podcast - An Only A Bag Podcast
Hosted by Darcy Melton | Nathaniel Mellor · EN
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!
38episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Headlines: Strikes in June, Rome Scooter Rules, and JFK->Sardinia
6d ago00:27:46Tap to summarizeToday we're discussing upcoming strikes in Italy for the month of June (of which there are thankfully few, so your June trip shouldn't see too many hiccups!). We're also talking about new rules and restrictions around electric scooters in Rome, the expansion of the STVR ban in Florence, and the first ever USA to Sardinia direct flight courtesy of Delta. You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →Headlines: EES in European Airports and Your Right to Tap Water in Italy
1w ago00:38:40Tap to summarizeToday we're discussing the new EES (Entry/Exit System) that you will most likely encounter on your trip to Europe this year. Likewise, we're also looking at the court case that recently made it big in the headlines, establishing the fact that Italians (and people in Italy) have no "right" to tap water at a restaurant. Thankfully, we're both no longer as sick as we were, so hopefully this episode is more cohesive sounding! You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →Sorrento: Where to Stay In and Around Sorrento
2w ago00:29:08Tap to summarizeWhile it can be amazing to stay right smack-dab in the middle of Sorrento, it can also come with unforeseen challenges. Likewise, staying just outside of Sorrento might be a quiet retreat from the hubbub, but it can also mean you don't get the experience you were hoping for. In this episode, we break down the various small towns around Sorrento and neighborhoods in Sorrento to help you figure out the best place to stay. As mentioned in the episode, our "comments" on Spotify have been a little strange. We've been getting notifications for comments, but they don't always appear. So if you've left a comment and we haven't responded, please feel free to leave the comment again or reach out to us directly! You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →Sorrento: Public Transportation and Restaurant Tips
2w ago00:54:19Tap to summarizeWe're back! Today we're talking about Sorrento, which we had briefly started talking about two weeks ago. This episode focuses on how to catch the bus, things to keep in mind surrounding using the bus, our experience with using taxis, and, of course, food. While in the past we've normally tried not to give specific recommendations (mainly as we know that food can be highly subjective, and what we might love y'all might not), we do end this episode with a few recommendations for where to eat. As mentioned in the episode, our "comments" on Spotify have been a little strange. We've been getting notifications for comments, but they don't always appear. So if you've left a comment and we haven't responded, please feel free to leave the comment again or reach out to us directly! You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →(RERUN) Naples Pastries: Baked, Fried, Filled With Ricotta
3w ago00:38:54Tap to summarizeWe are still out of town, but we'll be back next week! Until then, please enjoy one our episodes from the end of last year. "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!"You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →(RERUN) Naples: Dinnertime, Street Food, and Pizza
3w ago00:36:19Tap to summarizeAs mentioned in last week's episodes, we are out of town this week! Instead of leaving you all without an episode, we're going back into the past to bring you an episode from the fall of last year. We hope you enjoy! "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/ "You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →AI Trip Planning — Part 2: How AI Trip Planning Works (and Doesn't Work)
4w ago00:49:24Tap to summarizeFollowing up from Wednesday's episode, today we're talking about the actual trip planning portion. How is AI used to plan a trip, where does it succeed, and where does it fail. We also offer some alternatives for those of you who are planning a trip and prefer to not rely on AI. You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →AI Trip Planning — Part 1: Understanding AI
4w ago01:01:26Tap to summarizeToday, we're talking about something we've actually wanted to talk about for a few years. It's something that we knew would inevitably evolve, just as with any other AI application. After hearing and reading stories of AI chatbots and trip planners making up fake destinations, misrepresenting walking areas and how long it takes to get from point A to B, or recommending closed restaurants and hotels, we thought it was finally time to take a dive into discussing planning your trip using AI. But before we are able to even get into the trip planners in particular, we first wanted to layout some of the pitfalls and drawbacks of using AI. While it doesn't have much—or really anything!—to do with Italy, we felt that it was important enough to warrant its own episode. You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →Off The Beaten Path: An Ecological Wonder and Rome Untouched
May 800:46:55Tap to summarizeIf you're like us, you might have already been here without knowing you were here. And where is here? Parco della Caffarella, or, Caffarella Park. Near the Appian Way, this park sits as a haven for all manner of wildlife, an active pasture for sheep, and a place to relax outside the hubbub of Rome. Links:Caffarella Park (scroll down for information about the electric minicar): https://www.caffarella.it/il-parco/ List of flora: https://www.caffarella.it/il-parco/da-conoscere/la-vegetazione-del-parco-dellappia-antica-e-della-valle-della-caffarella/List of Fauna (including birds): https://www.caffarella.it/il-parco/da-conoscere/la-fauna/Appia Antica Regional Park's Page on Caffarella Park: https://www.parcoappiaantica.it/itinerari/la-valle-della-caffarella/You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →Off The Beaten Path: Two Peaceful Gardens in the Middle of Rome
May 600:37:42Tap to summarizeSpring has sprung (and we're a little late) but in that season of renewal (spring and our brand-new name and cover art) we thought we'd look at some little-known parks in Rome that are right in the middle of everything, but hidden. We've often talked about how difficult it can feel to find green space or a place to relax in Rome's historic center. In this episode, we tell you about two gardens near the Trevi Fountain that overlook the crowds: the gardens of the Palazzo Quirinale and Villa Aldobrandini. You can learn more about Palazzo Quirinale and buy tickets here: palazzo.quirinale.itThe Villa Aldobrandini is a free park open from 7:00am to sunset. You can join our Patreon for free! Want a shout out on the podcast? Check out our paid tiers. patreon.com/cw/theitalytravelpodcastFor articles written by us about Italy, check out our website onlyabag.com If you'd like to support us by using affiliate links, but don't have the time to hunt them down, we have put them all in one place! 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). Thanks for listening! xDarcy and Nathaniel
Transcribe →