My wife and I stayed at Domenica's airbnb for eleven nights (22nd Sept to 3rd October, apart from one night when we visited and stayed in Noto, a lovely place which we thoroughly recommend). Domenica and her husband Luca (they are talented, dedicated potters, whose beautiful workplace is close by) - friendly and kind-hearted people - gave us a warm welcome on our arrival, and provided a great deal of practical information. The apartment, exceptionally clean and well-equiped, and truly quiet at night, was ideal for exploring the remarkable place that is Ortigia. There was a nearby bakery and small supermarket for basic shopping, and innumerable places in which to dine. Also, for us sea swimmers, there was a place to swim less than 100ms away (a morning swim before breakfast, just the thing to start a day), and there was another, perhaps safer place on the opposite side of Ortigia. Everyone will have their own reasons for wanting to visit Ortigia, but - if you don't already know of it - I absolutely urge you to experience a truly memorable puppet theatre performance (we went twice). Also, there is a really lovely bookshop (Casa del Libro) on the nearby Via della Maestranza where I bought a wonderful book - SYRACUSE, A Sentimental Dictionary of a City, by Giuseppina Norcia (I bought the English edition, and later the Italian original for my wife). Even a person who has never visited Syracusa/Ortigia would fall in love with this book - it is truly poetic - and would want to visit there having read it. Oh, and do visit the ancient, recently re-discovered Jewish baths, a minute walk from Domenica's.
I hope it is clear that we thoroughly enjoyed our (all too brief!) stay in Ortigia. Mille grazie a Domenica e Luca.