Maria's place has been home to one of the most memorable Airbnb stays I have ever had.
The apartment is extremely comfortable, sparkling clean, and has everything you could think to need. An excellent coffeemaker, an oven, a brilliant cooker - so you can make the most of the delicious produce at Il Capo market. The wifi and airconditioning work excellently - and made my working holiday super smooth.
The apartment is in a wonderful part of Palermo. It's an old neighbourhood, residential, busy in the mornings and very peaceful at night. It's in the heart of old Palermo, being next to Il Capo market and feels off the beaten tourist track. It's brilliantly located, so that within a 5 min walk, I was by the Cathedrale despite feeling like I was living in a place where I was surrounded by residents rather than tourists. Where Maria's apartment is located is extremely good for getting a strong sense of local life, yet being able to access the centre of town. I never had to take 1 taxi in my entire time here.
My ultimate favourite part of Maria's apartment is the gorgeous terrace at the top. My evenings were spent blissfully having dinner, (having cooked beautiful food from the market) and enjoying the breeze up there. You can see into the neighbourhood, and really feel the rhythm of the city from here.
Maria is also an amazing host. On my first night here, I had a bit of a dental emergency. Despite the following day being a Catholic holiday, which meant almost everything was shut - Maria helped me find a way to go and get the assistance I needed from the hospital. I'm especially grateful to Maria for this extremely warm and caring gesture - as my trip would have been ruined otherwise. She checked in on me after to see how I was, and made me feel utterly at home. A wonderful, fabulous host.