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Carnevale is just around the corner, so let's talk about it! When is it? What is it? Well, that all depends on where you are. In Venice, Carnevale means Venetian masks, costumes, and comedy. Near Turin in Ivrea, it means historical, and very sticky, orange fights (yep, the citrus fruit). Wherever you are, Carnevale means festive food and a party.
The official Venice Carnevale website is carnevale.venezia.it.
The official Ivrea Carnevale website is storicocarnevaleivrea.it.
To learn more about Carnevale pastries in Venice, check out Darcy's articles Traditional Venetian Pastries for Carnival (or Carnevale) and 7 Best Places to Eat Frittelle in Venice.
Looking for Hotels in Venice? Check out our favorites below! These are affiliate links, and if you book through them, we receive a small commission.
Ai Mori d'Oriente in Cannaregio - A great area for restaurants and bars, a little quieter as well.
Acca Hotel in San Polo - Convenient, between San Marco and the Santa Maria train station.
Aqua Palace in Castello - Near the Arsenale Water Show
Hotel A La Commedia in San Marco - The heart of the city around Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) where the main festivities of Carnevale happen.
Palazzo Veneziano in Dorsoduro - More residential with lots of great wine bars and places for small bites.
Looking for Hotels in Ivrea? Because it's a small town, there are very few, but here are our suggestions. Including three in nearby towns which are drivable to Ivrea.
3T Boutique Hotel in Ivrea
ReArduinoIvrea in Ivrea
Villa Soleil in Colleretto Giacosa
Il Talucco B&B in Valdengo
Hotel Cavour Et Des Officiers in Bard
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
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
In this episode we're continuing our discussion about visiting Italy in the winter. Today we're talking about how different cities and regions change during the cold months. What cities go along with business as usual and which turn to ghost towns? Are things closed in the winter? Does it get cold in southern Italy? In this episode we'll tell you all about it, so you can plan your trip fully prepared.
If you're planning to visit Venice this winter, check out Darcy's article When Does Venice Flood?
Want to learn more about the holiday lights in Salerno? You can visit their website here.
The cities and towns that we talk about in this episode are:
Venice (Veneto)
Florence and Siena (Tuscany)
Perugia (Umbria)
Rome (Lazio)
Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi Coast (Campania)
Taranto and Locorotondo (Puglia)
Palermo (Sicily)
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
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
It's wintertime in Italy and the most northern bits of Italy know how to make things festive and cozy. In this episode, we're talking about towns in the Italian Alps. These towns are great choices for an Italian winter vacation with skiing, snowshoeing, Christmas markets, mulled wine, and thermal baths.
In case you want to look them up on your own, the towns we're talking about specifically are:
- Gressoney-Saint-Jean (Aosta)
- Gressoney-La-Trinité (Aosta)
- Livigno (Sondrio)
- Tirano (Sondrio)
- Bormio (Sondrio)
- Bressanone/Brixen (Trentino-Alto Adige)
- Merano (Trentino-Alto Adige)
- Bolzano (Trentino-Alto Adige)
We also talk about the Treninio Rosso in Tirano, a scenic train through the Italian Alps, as well as Dolomiti Superski, a project connecting ski facilities, hotels, rental, etc. in 12 towns in the Dolomite mountains.
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
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
In this episode we're talking about more recent news including a story that has struck people internationally about a family who were living off the grid in Abruzzo. We're also talking about the floods in the Friuli-Venzezia Giulia region which killed two people and forced hundred to evacuate. As well as an upcoming ban on e-scooter rental and new outdoor seating regulations in Florence. Lastly, we touch on the Winter Olympics which will be held in Milan and Cortina this February.
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
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 Italy in the news. In today's episode we'll talk about the upcoming strikes and how they could affect your trip. We'll also talk about the collapse of Torre dei Conti which tragically killed one person, the new deputy president of Tuscany, a landmark law which defines consent, and the ongoing saga with the bridge over the Straight of Messina.
As mentioned in the episode some train journeys and flights are guaranteed during strikes. Here you can find guaranteed trains with Trenitalia and Italo.
Here is a list of guaranteed flights for the strike on November 28. Darcy mistakenly said that flights are guaranteed from 6pm to 7pm on the 28th, but the window is actually 6pm to 9pm according to the National Civil Aviation Authority. Flights departing between 7 and 10 a.m. as well as from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m are guaranteed. Flights are trickier to deal with during a strike, in my opinion, if you plan to travel on November 28 keep a keen eye on any travel apps you use for updates.
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
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
Finally, we have come to our conclusion! The end of the Naples miniseries, in which we wrap up the past few episodes into one!
Just as in Wednesday's episode, I (Nathaniel) realize I'm also talking pretty quickly in this episode and I still apologize! In the future, we'll try to come back and re-record these for clarity!
I hope Darcy's part is still enjoyable!
If you'd like to support us, but you don't have the time to hunt down all of the affiliate links scattered across the website, a listener suggested (thank you!) putting them all in one place, so we have! Head over to www.onlyabag.com/affiliate-linksand 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).
Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees.
Train Station
Budget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM
Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR
Centro Storico
Budget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl
Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V
Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i
Spanish Quarter/Toldeo
Budget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN
Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW
Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y
Chiaia
Budget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGe
Mid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZi
Upper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker’s. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf
If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com!
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
Thanks for listening!
xDarcy and Nathaniel
Rolling up the next few episodes into one, this episode delves into the different neighborhoods, street food, and pastries.
As a quick note, I (Nathaniel) realize I'm talking pretty quickly in this episode and apologize! Almost all of the Naples episodes were recorded back to back, so I started speaking quicker and less clearly. In the future, we'll try to come back and re-record these for clarity! However, since Darcy's just returned to town (yay!) we won't have time before they go live.
I hope Darcy's part is still enjoyable!
If you'd like to support us, but you don't have the time to hunt down all of the afiliate links scattered across the website, a listener suggested putting them all in one place, so we have! 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).
Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees.
Train Station
Budget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM
Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR
Centro Storico
Budget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl
Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V
Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i
Spanish Quarter/Toldeo
Budget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN
Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW
Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y
Chiaia
Budget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGe
Mid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZi
Upper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker’s. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf
If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com!
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
Thanks for listening!
xDarcy and Nathaniel
Now we've arrived to the beginning of the end of the miniseries on Naples!
For those of you who have been following along on this miniseries, you'll have heard most of this information already. This episode, and the next two, are "condensed" and designed to give all of the past 10~ episodes worth of information in 3.
They're intended for those of you who don't have much time to delve into 5 hours of episodes, or those of you who came to this podcast after we published the miniseries so you can start with the condensed and go to the long-form if you find something interesting.
Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees.
Train Station
Budget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM
Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR
Centro Storico
Budget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl
Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V
Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i
Spanish Quarter/Toldeo
Budget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN
Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW
Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y
Chiaia
Budget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGe
Mid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZi
Upper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker’s. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf
If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com!
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
Thanks for listening!
xDarcy and Nathaniel
While Naples is certainly known for its seaside day trips, for those of you who are more interested in a bit of history and delving into the past, the area around Naples has far more than simply Pompeii.
From the nearby first Greek city on mainland Italy, Cumae, to the no-longer-ruined palace in Caserta (rivaling that of Versailles), to the tomb of Virgil, this absolute plethora of non-water-centric ruins and castles can make any trip educational and interesting!
Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees.
Train Station
Budget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM
Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR
Centro Storico
Budget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl
Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V
Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i
Spanish Quarter/Toldeo
Budget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN
Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW
Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y
Chiaia
Budget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGe
Mid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZi
Upper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker’s. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf
If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com!
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
Thanks for listening!
xDarcy and Nathaniel
So, we've sold you on Naples. Now the question is, where else can you go near Naples, and it's a valid question! Despite Naples' hectic, chaotic, caught-in-time feeling, it's surrounded by a gorgeous sea with a handful of islands and coastlines that cool down any summer trip!
As we've mentioned in previous episodes, the farther south you go from Naples (until you hit Calabria, no disrespect) the seaside tends to get less busy and more local, so if you have a few extra days and you'd like to spend the night somewhere, check out the Cilento Coast!
Below are some of our favorite hotels to stay in while we're in Naples. Each of the links are affiliate links, and if you book your stay through the link, we earn a small percentage of the booking platform's fees.
Train Station
Budget: Vergilius Bilia. Clean and modern. https://agoda.tpm.li/Gu6XirQM
Mid-Range: Starhotels Terminus. Old-school but nice, right next to the station. https://agoda.tpm.li/hCbKTXYR
Centro Storico
Budget: Hotel Caravaggio. Old-school but clean. Centrally located. https://agoda.tpm.li/NdMJaOfl
Mid-Range: UNA Hotels Napoli. Equidistant to the train station and centro storico. Nice views of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/QcnssG4V
Upper Crust: Palazzo Caracciolo Naples. On the edge of centro storico, but with modern amenities. https://agoda.tpm.li/ulwHhc9i
Spanish Quarter/Toldeo
Budget: Hotel Il Convento. Small rooms, but in the action of the city. https://agoda.tpm.li/GLl8jEPN
Mid-Range: Art Resort Galleria Umberto. Stay in the Galleria Umberto. What more needs to be said? https://agoda.tpm.li/6EhwUpfW
Upper Crust: Hotel Romeo. Little slice of luxury near the port and centro storico. https://agoda.tpm.li/kQdItv3Y
Chiaia
Budget: Pinto-Storey Hotel. Like an old-school Bed and Breakfast. https://agoda.tpm.li/isL35cGe
Mid-Range: Hotel Majestic. Modern but like 2010 modern: https://agoda.tpm.li/mh6RUnZi
Upper Crust: Grand Hotel Parker’s. Swanky, near the water: https://agoda.tpm.li/KaH7yHzf
If you'd like to support the podcast in other ways, you can donate to Only a Bag on ko-fi.com!
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, by email at [email protected], on Instagram, or Bluesky.
For more info, check out our articles on onlyabag.com and read our Substack Letters from the Balcony.
Thanks for listening!
xDarcy and Nathaniel
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