I had a lovely stay at Cristina's beautiful home. Since there was no one else staying there with her (she lives in the apartment and rents the two spare bedrooms), she upgraded me to the larger room with the attached bathroom and dressing room. Cristina is a friendly and attentive host. I was traveling alone, and I think at first she was worried about me being all right so was extra attentive, but after a day or two we settled into a nice rhythm. She works from home, so she's usually around and likes to play beautiful jazz music all day long.

The apartment is beautifully decorated, and situated just off of one of the main roads in Palermo, around the corner from a bus stop where you can catch a bus to any part of the city (and easily take the bus from the train station). There's plenty nearby on foot as well, with many markets and stores in the area.

It was extremely hot in Palermo when I visited, so the air conditioning in the room was a godsend. Wifi was a little spotty (if you just turn the wifi on and off on your computer it goes back to normal), and my phone wasn't strong enough to pick it up, but it was serviceable.

Cristina's beautiful apartment was a calm, quiet haven in the midst of sweaty, spicy Palermo, and she was a wonderful host. Grazie, Cristina!