Our stay at Max's place was overall very pleasant. The location is good, quite close to the central station. The neighbourhood is authentic and friendly, with a small piazza just a few steps away where you can quench your thirst at the Chiosco. Maybe the place itself needed a bit more care though since it seemed like things were falling apart. The apartment in general and specifically the kitchen weren't very well-stocked either, with cooking essentials such as salt missing (we had to buy it for the apartment ourselves). So, I'd recommend the place as a good base for exploring Catania and its surroundings, but if you like to cook like we do then you should lower your expectations a bit.