LOCATION:
Angelo's place is nice with a convenient location next to the train station. We stayed for over 2 weeks using Palermo as a hub to travel to other places on the weekends. The location is not the nicest part of Via Maqueda. At night the streets were dark and empty when returning from dinner. etc. Via Maqueda reminded me of Khaosan Road in Bangkok but not in a good way lol. But if that's your thing - you're in a decent spot. About 10-15 minutes to get to where the action starts. There are also lots of buses nearby to get to other places. Good spot for getting away from Via Maqueda. Also close enough to walk to the churches you should see, etc. Not bad at all for that.
One thing to note is the other tenants leave the building access doors open all the time. We closed the doors constantly.
THE HOST:
We didn't meet Angelo and I'm not clear if I ever communicated with him or always with his son. If you like almost constant communication with a host (the son?) then this place is for you. It was uncanny sometimes how I'd get a message with questions about what was happening at that moment. For example, if I walked into the apartment with food, I'd get a Whatsapp message asking if I got local food...after walking in after being away for the weekend, I'd get a message asking if everything was ok...so...that was quite a talent.
The parents (or grandparents) met us and had limited english, but we got through it with a Google translate app. They were so sweet and had set up a nice table for us - wine, fruit, bread, cookies, etc. Our flight got in much later than expected and it was really nice of them to do that. There was also a little espresso pod machine with espresso for us which was also very thoughtful. They left water for us. Very nice and was much appreciated!
INTERNET:
The internet is good. You can easily work from home in Angelo's apartment. I had no issues with video calls, etc.
COMFORT:
The couch and bed were fine. Nice TV watching space.
The air conditioning only works if you are home. You're given ONE key and the key is welded onto the key ring. Genius, really. We had our dog with us, so we'd leave the A/C on turbo overnight in the main area so it would stay as cool as possible when we went out the next day. We wouldn't have run the A/C on high all night every night if we could have turned it on at our discretion while we were out. If you are staying during the summer, I would consider if you are ok coming back to a hot apt and constantly waiting for it to cool off. This is only an issue for someone renting this space in the summer months. We were lucky our stay was mostly in June.
There is a beautiful walk-in closet in the bedroom. The only thing we wished is that there were more hangers and a dresser to fully unpack. One of us had to live out of a suitcase for two weeks. I've suggested they fix this as they are advertised as a long-term stay.
The bathroom has plenty of space to unpack your toiletries! Great mirror and lighting. The shower has very low water pressure. This was our first stop in Sicily so we were nervous this was a Sicily thing. After traveling to 4 other areas of Sicily we can assure everyone the water pressure in Sicily is fine lol...just not in Angelo's apartment. Minor thing when compared to the positives of the apartment overall, but mentioning in case this can be corrected. It's the lowest pressure we've seen in all of Italy and we've been traveling since the end of May.
NEARBY:
There is a wonderful cafe just below the apartment with a delightful owner. There are several markets in Palermo, with the Ballaro market being the closest. I would suggest you skip it. We got tired of being ripped off by rude people. We'd buy something there and find we were charged 2x to 3x for items. The same goes for the surrounding little deli/markets. Everyone just wants a quick buck in this area and when they see you coming, they see dollar signs. It got tiring. When we ventured out to the other markets, they were lovely. For food staples, do yourself a favor and just go to the Lidl - it's only 2 blocks away! Go to Mercato del Capo and Vucciria for really great experiences. Ballaro is a dump compared to the other markets.
All in all, this is a nice place in an ok area with very convenient access to the train station and hosts that are keen to communicate with you constantly. It was nice to have our dog with us and be able to work with the good internet. Thanks for everything Angelo (or Alessandro?)! And thanks to the parents/grandparents for the nice welcome when we arrived. Ciao!