Rodolfo's place is great - in the middle of the city, comfortable, and it has a lot of character (as you can see in the pictures) but also modern amenities (good kitchen). It's very safe. Rodolfo was easy to communicate with and gave us a map and lots of information when we arrived (a day later than initially intended, due to late arrival to the Palermo airport).
Catania is a bit run down, it's part of its charm so important to embrace it vs fight it. The 'views' from the airbnb are not very pretty (balconies with clothes drying and peeling paint, etc) but that's just Catania, so just get over it and enjoy the lovely garden with banana trees etc. The water in the shower wasn't very hot, probably nice in the summer though (we were there over easter).
Important to note that parking is charged in cash (10Eur per day - recommend it, very safe/private garage) and that Rodolfo collects money for the 'city hospitality tax' in cash as well + asked us to fill in a form with our information (address etc) and took pictures of our passports/ID docs. He puts beers, water, and soda in the flat that you can purchase for 1Eur. very convenient.
Thanks Rodolfo