Giovanna was an extremely helpful and communicative host. She helped us set up taxi rides to/from the airport as well as put us in contact with boat/snorkeling excursion companies. We really enjoyed the balconies and the luxury of having bathrooms attached to both bedrooms. Having to empty the water from the A/C unit really wasn't a hassle and only had to be done once a day. The apartment is in a convenient location, about 12 minutes either to the train station or to the center of town. As a female, I would recommend not wandering around any streets directly north of the apartment, but sticking to the main road to go west into town and east to the train station was fine and felt safe.
There are some good places nearby, including a bakery right downstairs (closed on Sundays) and a small art district + pasta restaurant down the street. There are also several little convenience stores on the street where you can get a giant bottle of water for 1 euro. We were advised by our food tour host not to drink the tap water in Catania (not to say anything bad about this apartment's tap water.. we just didn't drink it) -- so make sure to stock up and stay hydrated!