I enjoyed staying at this very clean, tastefully decorated small first-floor apartment for 20 days. It is perfect for two people.
Claudio met me when I arrived. This amiable host speaks a little English. He showed me around and explained everything. When you arrive you may want to have the Google translator open on your cell phone.
Everything here is new and of good quality. I was impressed with the doors, windows, the two split HVAC units and tile work in the bathroom. The kitchenette has everything you need to prepare meals (I didn’t use it, all I did was make coffee.) A large flat screen, cable TV and Apple TV are also present. I never used these as the WiFi was fast and I watched CNN etc. on my laptop. The Google Smart speaker was helpful. The “Smart” combo washer dryer was helpful. It is a little complicated I found the instructions online. Perhaps Claudio will print out the PDF in English and add it to the helpful “House Manual”.
The apartment is located in a narrow alley off of the main street in Catania. This makes it fairly quiet. Occasionally a loud scooter will go through the alley. You can sometimes hear adjacent neighbors. Nights are quiet. A twelve-minute walk downhill will take you to Plazza Duomo and the famous fish market. A nice supermarket, Vivo, is uphill three blocks and one block to the right. This supermarket is much better than the one a few blocks downhill.
I recommend watching the Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown show, “Sicily”, to give you a feel of what Catania is like. Also, check out the TripAdvisor Catania forum and Lonely Planet.