This three-level apartment - living area, sleeping area and secret outside terrace - is hidden down a quiet lane in Palermo’s administrative district. Heavy bags are not ideal when ascending and descending the three narrow flights of stone stairs to the front door, but it is well worth the trouble if you don’t travel light! The views across the rooftops from the terrace are stunning. The cathedral and its associated attractions are a few minutes’ walk away, as are two of the city’s buzzing food markets. You will also have an air-conditioned haven when the afternoon heat gets oppressive. Not the easiest location to find even for a Palermo taxi driver, but the host’s instructions and meeting arrangements are infallible - ‘corner or Piazza della Vittoria and Vicolo Gesù e Maria’ will do the trick.