We loved the apartment, it is basic and has all you need including AC. It is very comfortable and very clean with plenty of towels. When the heat of the day became too much we withdrew to the apartment and watched the world go by, the views are to die like a film set, the balconies on each window make the apartment so special, especially at sunset. The location was perfect for us, it is noisy at night, as so much is happening around that area but this was never a problem for us and we slept soundly. I visited with my sister and partner and it was perfect for 3 adults.
Tip - we arrived by bus and were quite disoriented when we got off the bus in Syracusa and didn't know where to go. In the end I texted Salvatore and asked him to send a taxi for us, and then things fell into place.
Ortigia is a gem of a place, we absolutely loved it, something for every taste. We hired a boat and dropped anchor in beautiful coves to swim and picnic, we hired a car and visited the spectacular baroque hill towns of Noto and Modica disappointed not to make it to Ragusa but next time. We visited the impressive, vast Greek and Roman amphitheatres and the quarried caves were amazing. We had dinner at the Vin de l'Assassin one night which was superb, and ate calamari and chips street food the next night, that was also delicious. We went to the market and bought fresh sardines more than we could eat for 4 euros and cooked up a banquet. If you go to the market make sure you see the sandwich man at the east end, he is a maestro of his craft.
Another tip - don't overload the electric system we had the grill, the water heater and the AC on at the same time and it fused the system. We should have been more careful, Salvatore came immediately.
Don't miss the Caravaggio in Santa Lucia it is luminously beautiful and the 5th Century Ionic columns in the Duomo are astonishing. On the last night we discovered the tunnels under the Duomo Piazza and came out on the Marina. I could go on and on the holiday exceeded every expectation.
We loved every moment and the Aretusa apartment was the icing on the cake. Thank you Salvatore for lending us the apartment with the best location in Ortigia.
Memories of our holiday will warm even the coldest winter's night, we will return.