We stayed with Valeria early in our Sicily adventure, and again towards the end of our month. We missed our pickup because the internet was down at the apartment in Rome, and we didn't get the message. But this is such a good service, and so helpful, arriving in an unfamiliar place. There was building work in the apartments, for the first week - we were in a temporary room for the first two days - and the men started really early. Our more-permanent room was at the back of the building, and was far more peaceful, except for the building work and the plumbing - which we realize will be finished soon enough. It was good to be back in the same room after our time in Palermo. We came back a couple of days earlier than planned - Valeria and her partner, Adriane were able to extend our stay. They were both delightful, and so was Valeria's father, who we met several times. It was a relief that Adriane spoke good English - our Italian is quite limited.
The apartment was only a few minutes walk from the centre of Catania. We came to love the old town, the market, the square where there was always something happening. We used the apartment as a base when we went too Selina, in the Aeolian Islands, and it was very convenient to be able to return to familiar territory.
Our hosts arranged a trip up Etna for us which was unforgettable. We were picked up right outside the building, and the whole day was well organized and delightful. We would recommend anyone to book this experience.