Irine and Giuseppe were fantastic hosts and were extremely generous with multiple gifts of food and wine. They were very quick to respond to any requests – there was no chopping board in the house and after mentioning this one appeared within an hour. The house was spotless and there was plenty of spare bedding and lots of towels. Shower was good and all appliances (inc washing machine and air conditioners) worked well. Outside showers (x2) were also useful and even in May not too cold. The kitchen was well stocked with plenty of pans and coffee makers etc. The charcoal BBQ lights easily and cooks very well. There is plenty of parking and the house is in a quiet area with very little traffic. The only minor down sides were that there is another part built house in the garden – not exactly a building site but not very attractive to look at, the water pump is a bit noisy and the wifi signal is weak (although 3G works fine).
You cannot see the sea from the house but a big plus is that the coast is only about 5 minutes of very easy walking and if you walk along the pleasant costal path for about 2 minutes there is a small rocky cove where you can get down to the sea and is great for swimming. It is not really possible to walk into town or to any bars or cafes – at least not any we found.
Avola is an easy drive from Catania airport – the tolls on the road seem to have been suspended/removed. There are a couple of excellent fresh fish shops in the Marina di Avola area. The one on the corner of Via Miramare does fantastic freshly cooked fried seafood in cardboard cones. The wine shop on the same street does free tastings and the wine is very good. There are several big supermarkets within 10 minutes drive.
The location is great for exploring the area – we especially enjoyed walking up Etna (with surprise Prosecco and birthday cake at the top), walking down the Cava Grande and swimming in the river, Syracuse market (nr Tempio di Apollo), Noto (lovely any time of day) and the flamingos at Riserva natural orientate Oasi Faunistica. All highly recommended.