Not only is Sebastian's apartment quite a nice play to stay, there are several unusually cool things about it which he doesn't mention in the profile.

One is that the Circumetnea, the last remaining of the 20 or so narrow gauge railroads Sicily once had, which winds around Mt. Etna, passes at eye level about 120 or so metres from the flat's balcony. Close enough to see some details, but not close enough for noise or privacy to be a concern. Children (and perhaps parents delighted that their children are distracted) and train enthusiasts will be thrilled, particularly in summer when 15 if not 20 trains pass by per day. The flat also offers an excellent view of Mt. Etna from the balcony; we saw and photographed lava flowing out of a fissure, and wished we'd taken a tripod and good zoom lens with us. (Hint.)

The Circumetnea is well worth a trip; the track on the west side has the feel of an alpine nature resort, and Sebastiano's appartment is about 250 metres from the Piedimonte station. Piedimonte itself has the air of a resort town without tourists and without the exorbitant prices of not distant places infested by tourists, and - unlike some cities not that far away - really does seem safe. We particularly enjoyed Piedimonte's pastry maker & cafe. A few hundred meters from the apartment a nature reserve begins, within which there are several restaurants that only use local ingredients. They're said to be well worth a visit, though we didn't make it.

We went to Piedimonte primarily to have some time to wind down and relax and secondarily to do some sightseeing. We found public transport to be quite sufficient for our needs, though those who want to spend every minute of their day sight-seeing probably won't.

Sebastiano offered us the choice of bringing our own linens or renting (first rate) linens from him and offered us a fair price. I mention this because it wasn't mentioned in the description (like many of the great things I've mentioned). Being so absent-minded that I've gone to the airport for a transatlantic flight without my passport, I know very well how easy it is to forget things.

For me, Mt. Etna is one of the sights one wishes to see once in one's life, but then gains litte from seeing a second time, but were we to return to the area, we wouldn't hesitate to return to Sebastiano's.