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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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