We recently returned from a very pleasant stay at Giovanni’s well-appointed apartment, located near the heart of Palermo’s historic area. His place has a living room with a TV and couch when you enter through the main door, a kitchen and large bedroom that is up one flight of stairs, and a loft area suitable for kids that is up another flight of stairs from the main bedroom. It is a cute layout that kids will like, but adults might find climbing the stairs a bit tedious. The bathroom is adjacent to the main bedroom. There is plenty of natural light and good ventilation. There are TVs in the kitchen and the living room. The communal pool area and garden was one of my favorite spots here. It was an oasis of calm far removed from the hustle and bustle of the streets of Palermo. It is accessed from the front door on the first level of the apartment. Giovanni also provided us with plenty of cooking utensils, silverware, plates, and glasses. A decent number of towels were provided for two people (larger groups will require more towels). There was a microwave, refrigerator and enough hand utensils to do some basic cooking. Some food supplies were provided such as oil, salt, sugar, etc. Paper towels were provided as well, but additional garbage bags were not provided. There is also a washing machine in the kitchen under the sink. Like most Italian households, there is no dryer but you’ll find clothes lines out in the garden area. Once the sun comes out, your clothes dry very quickly – usually a couple of hours though jeans will take at least four hours. There was no dishwasher. There is a grocery store (Conad) down the street from Giovanni’s as well as a few places to eat. We could walk to both the train station as well as the historic district, though this walk was about a mile and a half. There is a bus stop outside of the apartment across the street, so public transportation is easily accessible. Giovanni also gave us maps of Palermo and other reference materials. This made it very easy for us to navigate the city and surrounding areas. The only caveat would be for visitors who have difficulty navigating stairs as you need to take two flights to get up to the apartment, then the steep climb to the main living area as well as the stairs leading up to the loft. Also, this location is a about 1.5 miles from the historic center of the city, so most of the major tourist attractions were a bit of a walk or a short ride on public transportation. Finally, finding this place from the train station was difficult when you first arrive. A taxi ride cost us 24 Euros – quite expensive for such a short ride. The apartment is not clearly marked so you have to look carefully to find the place (it is down the street from...