We spent four months in Toti's beautiful apartment and would happily have continued staying there forever. It provided everything we could have hoped for and more.
More on the space later, for now let's focus on Toti. What an absolute scholar and a gentleman! From the moment we arrived until our last day, he performed so many acts of kindness. His welcoming gifts included a lovely bottle of vino rosso, a bowl of fresh fruit, delicious Sicilian pastries... While maintaining a discreet distance during our stay in order to provide maximum privacy, he was always available for advice on everything from where to buy the best wine to how to use the excellent public transportation. He even invited us for a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with his family. On our last day we had arranged to meet for a coffee and he surprised us by driving us all the way to Mondello beach (on a gorgeous, sunny, January 31!).
The apartment on charismatic Via Terrasanta is a marvellous space with all the home comforts you could wish for. The furnishings are more beautiful and the decor more tasteful than anything we have seen in previous AirBnB stays. One of the nicest features is the patio and courtyard garden bursting with citrus, cacti and jasmine (tended to weekly by conscientious helper Arvind, who also gives the apartment a thorough cleaning once a week, providing clean linen and towels).
On Via Terrasanta you will find just a few feet from your gate the most delicious fresh produce in a fruit and veg shop owned by the warm and friendly Maurizio - truly another proper gentleman. A few steps beyond, you will not find better pastries, cakes and coffee than those offered by the gorgeous artisan pasticceria; and a butchery where not only did the owner go out of his way to provide everything we needed for the traditional Christmas meal we wanted - he also insisted on buying me a coffee and pastry in the aforementioned pasticceria next door!
Within a few minutes' walk is the splendid arboreal park of Villa Trabia, and not much further the magnificent Giardino Inglese.
Literally only a 15 minute walk down the elegant Via Della Liberta and you are in the historic centre with such breathtaking architectural offerings as Teatro Politeama, Teatro Massimo and so much more. I challenge you to walk more than a few steps without stopping to take photographs to make friends and family wish they were there too.
So much could be said about spectacular Palermo but you really need to simply see it to believe it - and we can think of no better host for a guaranteed unforgettable experience than Toti Maiorca, no better home away from home than the sublime apartment he offers.
Grazie mille Toti, ci rivediamo presto!