Unfortunately, my stay was ruined and my work was disrupted by the host's immediate and persistent complaints about the fact that I was supposedly using impossible amounts of electricity by working (in a property that is advertised as being or having a dedicated workspace) and using a desk lamp at night.
Despite the fact that I only used 40 euros of electricity a month in total in my four-room apartment in Rome, when I was working from home and not socialising during the pandemic, I was accused of having used 200 euros of electricity, on top of any normal usage, solely by using my computer and the desk lamp.
(The host knew that I was using my computer and/or the lamp because the light could be seen through the opaque interior glass wall of the bedroom and the hole over the bedroom door.)
The host expected me to pay 100 euros in cash in compensation. (I offered to pay whatever amount was judged to be appropriate by airbnb, through airbnb.)
Despite the fact that I frequently had to go out to work, because the wifi only functioned for a matter of hours over the course of the entire month, I frequently chose to go out, simply to walk around the city, soak up the atmosphere and gorge on the delicious food and wine, I spontaneously and naturally had friendly conversations with locals across the city in Italian as well as English and I never had a substantive conversation with the host, I was accused of staying in my room all the time and being uncultured, incurious and arrogant.
I'm writing this in Ragusa Ibla, which has a very different but equally beautiful character, as it's a historic hilltop town with views over the surrounding valleys, yet I'm dreading posting this, because it may lead to further interactions with my host in Syracuse.