So the floating dust bunnies turned out to be poplar fluff, which is basically tree seed fluff, and it spreads far and wide. I find it to be a nuisance, but the Milanese act like they don’t even see it anymore. Either that, or they’ve been desensitized and evolved to see through it if one lands in their eyeball (which happened to me three times in two days).

Today was mostly a travel day.

Rather than taking the train from Milan to Naples (around five hours) and then the Circumvesuviana—an allegedly packed, non-air-conditioned 75-minute commuter train—to Sorrento, we opted to fly. Sorrento doesn’t have an airport, so we still flew into Naples on a one-hour flight and then took a bus to Sorrento. We’ll eventually have to take the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii tomorrow, but at least we won’t have our luggage with us.

We left the apartment at 9 a.m. and took the metro to Milan Linate Airport. Luckily, the San Babila stop by our apartment goes directly to the airport. Since we were so close to the Duomo and a big shopping area, a lot of well-dressed commuters exited at our stop, leaving the train cars mostly empty heading toward the airport.

A la Sorrento! But first… Naples.

The airport in Milan was very easy to navigate. We decided not to check our bags since waiting at baggage claim could have made us miss our Curreri Viaggi bus to Sorrento. Security was fast, easy, and somewhat liberal—no shoes off, no liquids removed.

Just past security was a long galleria of duty-free shopping, in case people didn’t get enough shopping time in the city.

People is me. I’m people.

I was hoping for a new pair of sunglasses, and I found the perfect pair while casually strolling to my gate. Did I intend to buy sunglasses in Milan while planning this trip? Absolutely not. Did Milanese marketing get to me and convince me I specifically needed a pair of Prada sunglasses? Absolutely. Don’t blame me. Milan made me do it. Plus they were on sale, so what bigger sign could I ask for?

After that we found an airport café with very tasty sandwiches and above-average coffee. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll still like Starbucks when we get home. If I don’t, I imagine the stock will drop with how much I’d been supporting them, ya know?

Side note: I feel like every café has a different ordering process. Sometimes you order, get your stuff, and pay all in one spot. Sometimes you order and pay in one place, then take your receipt somewhere else to actually get it (though you can’t see a menu or the pastry case at the first counter, so you’re just supposed to… know). We’re getting the hang of it, I suppose. The trick is figuring out which kind of café you’ve stepped into and deciding what you want before it’s your turn.

As I may have mentioned before, our luggage is the absolute largest size allowed on a plane without requiring it be checked: carry-on plus personal item. The weight? We won’t even go there.

Since our flight was domestic, our carry-ons looked massive compared to everyone else’s. I kept fearing an airline employee would make us weigh them and force us to check them—or that they wouldn’t fit in the overhead bins. That was almost the case. They definitely didn’t fit in the compartments directly above us, but we managed to wiggle them into bins across the aisle.

Success.

As for our under-seat backpacks? Leg room is overrated anyway.

Our three days in Sorrento were probably the hardest part of this trip to plan. Southern Italy seems a little more… flexible. In other words, chaotic, with a little less structure. The people also feel a bit different from what I recall and what I’ve learned—maybe more musical and animated.

Upon landing in Naples, I felt oddly confident I could identify which passengers were Milanese and which were Neapolitan. Respectfully.

As for Campania—where Naples, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast are located—between mountains, narrow curvy roads, buses, trains, ferries, and car services, my square black-and-white brain could not figure out the best, safest, most efficient way to get around.

And for some reason my brain treats itinerary creation and packing like a test—pass or fail. If I get one thing wrong, like overpacking or choosing the wrong transportation, it’s an automatic fail.

God has been having some fun with me on this trip, though.

Between sudden weather changes requiring outfit switches, water spills ruining emergency meds, lost umbrellas, etc., I’ve had to be a lot more flexible.

The Curreri Viaggi bus departed promptly… 17 minutes later than advertised.

There were fewer than a handful of stops along the way before its final stop in Sorrento. I had this idea in my head that we had to walk from the station to our hotel because of pedestrian-only roads. But as it turns out, our hotel has drive-up access and there are plenty of taxis around.

On the bright side, it was a fairly short walk with only one set of stairs and luckily I travel with a pair of chocolaty muscles for situations like this.

Also—not to jinx it—but if all of our carry-on wheels stay intact for the duration of this trip, we are exclusively using Samsonite for all future travel.

Let’s just say they’ve seen some ish.

At hotel check-in we were advised we’d be receiving a free room upgrade, but upon reaching the room we found a big puddle in the bathroom from a leak. So we got moved again to an even higher-level room, which honestly turned out better.

Sometimes chaos blesses.

We freshened up and then hit the streets of Sorrento, stopping to take in the views and check out a few shops.

Dinner was at a rooftop restaurant called Terrazza Vittoria. I had booked it well in advance thinking we’d struggle to find somewhere to eat, but in actuality there are plenty of dinner options here.

But we made our reservation well.

Everything was so good and so over the top in fanciness. Plus the views made it feel like we were having dinner with Vesuvius.

Yes, we’re on a first-name basis now. It even looked like he was smoking a little bit too.

The walk back to the hotel included purchases of a few more things we don’t need. But what is life without frivolous spending?

We haven’t been here long, but this city—though the furthest south—might be the chilliest.

Side note: I think we caught our hotel in some kind of transition period. Our room is newly remodeled, and the per-night prices have gone up substantially since we booked. Which makes me feel like we accidentally timed this one just right.

Not a bad way to end a travel day.