Coming from a stay at a hotel at quiet Taormina to a more than busy Palermo with horrific traffic was quite something we had to adjust in the beginning. The communication with Valerio tho was from the beginnig on excellent! I've actually never received so much guidance from an Airbnb host before. He showed us some free parking options on the streets around beforehand but since we rented a car we felt more comfortable parking at a parking lot for 5€ per night guarded by the people living there - tbh it seemed super scetchy to us first but still better than risking scratches while parking on the street. Moving on to the apartment we were actually a bit bummed when we stood in front of it since there was a lot of garbage lying around, ppl communicating loudly on the street - it just didnt feel like a save area to stay at. The self check-in was super convenient due to a locker next to the door. Inside the apartment we finally felt like being able to relax until we realized that we could hear the neighbour kids playing and the motor cycles just as the door wasnt even closed.
Nevertheless I want to point out a few things: from an interior designer's perspective I have to say that Valerio's apartment is for sure a little treasure - such many nice, thought through details..especially the design of the lights, the stone brick walls. A big plus was the aircondition, the coffee machine, the bathroom, the cleanliness. He even prepared ear plugs next to the bed! A minus for me is the hard matress and the stairs are for sure a bit tricky. Day by day we got more used to the city and the area of the apartment, even the parking lot seemed less creepy and the guards greeted us every time they saw us. We simply started to understand the city better. Valerio went way out of the way of a usual host when we asked him if he knows a mechanic since we got a little scratch in our rental car and needed to get a laquer to repair it. He organized his neighbour to get us the laquer needed and we can't believe that everything worked out just perfect - we are so very greatful for that!!
Valerio also sent us some very good advices for restaurants in Palermo and some tipps on how to move around in the city.
5 stars not because it's the most perfect place but because you really experience Palermo almost like a local - at that's what Airbnbs are here for!