If you want to live side by side with the local inhabitants in the heart of Ortigia then this is a great place to stay. You can queue up alongside the locals to buy Arancini and sit out in the alley to watch the world go by; sit at the local bar/café and encounter the priest as he brings his bicycle out of Chiesa San Filippo; visit the Sicilian Puppet Show which backs onto the shared courtyard of the property or alternatively wander up to the Piazza del Duomo for Gelato in 3 minutes.
The apartment itself is quite dark even with the shutters open, but is reasonably equipped and stylish in a shabby-chic fashion, it was clean, quiet at night, cool with air-con and most importantly it’s location makes a great base for exploring the island. This suited us fine but if you’re the type of tourist who wants all the creature comforts of home or you want a holiday where you spend a lot of time in the apartment then this is not the place for you.
Alessandro and Max were good communicators and responsive to queries. Sadly our stay coincided with building work being undertaken in the adjacent building but I can see our hosts had little control over this.
Overall this is a great place if you like an adventure outside the tourist bubble.