The Italy Travel Podcast - An Only A Bag Podcast

Traveling in the Shoulder Season: What to See, Do, and Eat

We're continuing our discussion on traveling in the autumn shoulder season. We're talking about what to expect in terms of weather from October beach days to cozy dreary

Traveling in the Shoulder Season: Essential Tips for Fall Travel

This week we're talking about traveling in the shoulder season, specifically in the fall and a bit of winter. In this episode, we're talking about the major differences b

Headlines: New Pedestrian Law, Uffizi Restoration, Drought

Once again, headlines! And once again, it's been a light month (thankfully). We're talking about the new Uffizi restoration project which should make your next trip a lot

Headlines: Strikes in September, Rome Ticket Changes, Autolinee Toscana and More!

This week we're talking about headlines! And while it's been a pretty quiet month—most people have fled to the beaches or mountains so there's very little that's happened

Off the Beaten Path: Capri's Certosa of San Giacomo

In the middle of the town of Capri sits the quiet and oftentimes empty Certosa di San Giacomo. Out of the sun, an uninterrupted view of the Faraglioni, and astonishingly

Off the Beaten Path: Capri's Gardens of Augustus and Via Krupp

Capri can feel like it has very little "off the beaten path" as it has pretty much defined the path. That said, it's really like anywhere else in Italy; one step off the

Renting and Driving a Car in Italy: Fines, Alcohol, Manual vs. Automatic, and more!

Picking up where we left off, this episodes delves a little more into the particulars: how much can you drink before you're over the legal limit, do you even have to pay

Renting a Car and Driving in Italy: Documents, Speed Limits, the ZTL, and more!

If you're thinking about renting a car and tooling around Italy without a care in the world, you should do so! And better than that, this episode will help you to do so!

Off The Beaten Path: Florence's Santa Maria Novella pharmacy, La Specola, and Palazzo Davanzati

Picking up where we left off on Wednesday, Darcy explains the allure of the Dominican Friar's pharmacy near Santa Maria Novella—including perfumes made from ancient recip

Off The Beaten Path: Florence's Last Suppers and Hospital of the Innocents

It's been a few weeks since we've gone off the beaten path, so we thought—given the heat threatening Florence and the ever present crowds—that this would be the perfect w

Italy Headlines for August Part 2: Demonstrations, Rome Sites Open Late, and Changes to Horse Carriages

In our headlines episodes we typically try to talk about news that will affect your upcoming trip, like in this episode: the Pantheon and Colosseum will be open late to b

Italy Headlines for August: Wildfires, Rail Closures, Ferragosto

Today, we're back with headlines! Some are for Europe in general (a new survey is out letting anyone vote on the designs for the new Euro bills, and what Europe's new €3

Pompeii: Getting There, Tickets, and Fun facts

In our last episode, we waxed poetically (or rambled) about the magic of Pompeii and how indescribable it feels. In this episode, we're talking about the practicalities o

Pompeii: What It's Like and Why You Should Go

Pompeii, the city covered in ash that's still being discovered. We spend most of this episode's 40-odd minutes trying to put into words why someone should go. Sure, it's

Ravello: What To See/Do and Day Trips

One of the best things to do in Ravello is to just leisurely walk around and explore or to sit outside at a cafe and people-watch. It's a calm and relaxed little town wit

Ravello: Mountaintop Tranquility and How to Get There

This week we're talking about the best-known mountaintop town on the Amalfi Coast, Ravello. Situated above the sea with no beach access, this town offers stunning views o

Need To Know Before You Go: Restaurant Reservations, ATMs, Itineraries, Passport

Wrapping up our Need to Know week, we're sort of talking about the kitchen sink in this episode. We're talking about [the importance of] making reservations at a restaura

Need To Know Before You Go: Flight, Accommodation, and Luggage

As the travel months are ramping up, we thought we'd take the time to quickly run through the "things we wish we knew before we went", or, perhaps more accurately, "the t

Headlines: Strikes, Venice Fee, EES Changes, and Summer Happenings

Today, we're back talking about the smaller headlines, some you may have already seen, such as Venice potentially raising the entry fee to €50 and the possibility that Ro

Headlines: European Heatwave

Even though the heatwave that's been sweeping through Europe for the past week and a half is actually on its way out of Italy, we thought it would still make sense to tal