Chapter Four
Having arrived on the Wednesday and worked steadily through the weekend, Libby was given Monday and Tuesday off. She was longing to get out and about, no longer restricted to her two-hour lunch break, and was planning on tackling the famous Walk of the Gods. She set off bright and early on Monday morning with a small daypack. She followed Floriana’s advice on which bus to catch to get to the start of the Sentiero degli Dei. The bus wound its way along the perilously curving roads, depositing her in a small village, from which she followed the hand-drawn map she’d got from La Casetta. She climbed up a series of winding steps to the start of the path. It was an old mule track which had once been the only path connecting the hilltop villages. As Libby walked she could see why the path had received its name. There was a low mist hovering at the top of the mountainous hills, waiting to be burned away by the heat of the sun as it rose. At times she felt as if she could reach out her fingers and touch the cloud of vapour. When it cleared about half an hour into her walk, she could barely believe her eyes as the staggering views of the Amalfi coast were revealed in their full splendour. The endless curves of the coastline plunged thousands of metres down to the emerald sea. The path was so well worn; even the natural stone steps that she came across at times seemed somehow softened and moulded underfoot. She was glad that she had brought a large bottle of water with her as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky.
Hours later, exhausted and sweaty from her endeavours and having finally made her way back to the main road, she decided to hitch a lift back into Positano. A kindly bespectacled man pulled over and let her into the passenger seat of his car, dropping her up the hill from the church. Libby was desperate to get into the sea, so she made her way straight down to the beach, opting for Spiaggia del Fornillo to settle in for the rest of the day. After a well-deserved swim, she ordered a panini from one of the beach restaurants and another bottle of water. Sipping the cooling water and munching on the slightly salty bread with its filling of soft mortadella ham and cheese, she wiggled her toes in the sand and watched her fellow beach-goers amble along the shoreline. Just then her phone beeped in her pocket.
‘Libby?’
‘Luca, hi! How are you?’
‘You made it in one piece?’
‘Yes, I didn’t get lost. It was so stunning, I couldn’t believe it. Hard work but worth every second.’
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t come with you—’
‘No worries. Did you get everything sorted with your graphic design stuff?’
‘Yes all sorted, thanks. Now, this afternoon we are going out on Gian Matt’s boat. Do you want to come?’
‘Oooh, how exciting! Where are you going?’
‘Just around the coast. We can show you the Sirenusas, a bunch of islands between here and Capri.’
‘Wow, that sounds amazing. Are you sure Gian Matteo won’t mind me coming too?’
‘Absolutely. He’s right here with me. Where are you now?’
‘I’m on Fornillo.’
‘OK, we’ll pick you up from the jetty there in half an hour.’
‘Thanks, Luca.’
Libby was excited about getting out on the open water. She adored travelling on speedboats. In Kent she had often gone down to Chatham where Jules’s family had a boat. Some of her favourite memories were of sunny days in her childhood whizzing out over the bumps looking for dolphins, eating picnics, and swimming off the boat in secluded bays with Angus, Jules and their friends.
Soon enough she spotted Luca and Gian Matteo approaching the jetty. She was looking forward to spending some more time with Luca. They had grown close quickly since she had started working at La Casetta, and she could see them becoming very good friends.
‘This is Libby,’ Luca held her hand as she stepped aboard the boat. ‘My beautiful new colleague.’
‘Nice to meet you Libby. I’ve heard quite a lot about you from your greatest fan here,’ said Gian Matteo.
Luca gave Gian Matteo a shove, ignoring him. ‘And this is my sister, Nicola,’ said Luca, introducing Libby to a very pretty brunette who was sitting at the back of the boat.
‘Hi!’
‘Hi Libby, come and sit next to me. It gets quite bumpy out there, the back is much more comfy.’
As Libby took her seat Gian Matteo pushed down the throttle and they eased their way out to sea, accelerating faster as soon as they rounded the first crop of rocks and hit the open water. Libby chatted to Nicola, a charming and friendly twenty-nine year old, only three years younger than Libby and the spitting image of her brother. Libby could tell that they would get on well as they fell into an easy rapport, laughing about Luca and teasing him about his salmon-pink T-shirt, which was just a touch too tight.
After a good blast of sea air had cleared the cobwebs from their lungs and added a pinch of colour to their cheeks, Gian Matteo set his course for the Sirenusas.
‘How did they get their name?’ asked Libby.
‘Legend has it that three enchanted sirens, half women and half birds, lived on the islands,’ explained Gian Matteo.
‘They were said to lure sailors closer and closer towards them with enchanting music and singing, causing boats to shipwreck on the rocks and the sailors to drown,’ continued Luca.
‘Oh! A lovely story!’ laughed Libby. ‘Very morbid!’
