Based on photos and reviews, we had high expectations for this apartment; unfortunately we were a bit disappointed. First the positives: the location is quite good and very quiet. The bed is very comfortable and bathrooms are nice with good showers. The large terrace is fantastic, and it was very nice to have a gas barbecue.
Now for the disappointing aspects: someone was there with the door open when we arrived, but immediately vanished. There was no welcome, no instructions or explanations of the apartment, no maps, guides, or information about restaurants, markets, butchers, etc. Gabriella had messaged some notes about garbage and the water heater, but nothing more. We understand that the host can’t always be there to welcome guests, but most places we’ve stayed leave detailed information in the apartment in that case. The apartment had quite a damp musty odor, and the inside of the drawers and cupboards had a very strong smell. The apartment was much more cluttered than it appears in the listing photos; every surface, drawer and cupboard was full of stuff (actually quite a lot of junk). The kitchen in particular feels very old and cluttered. There was a lot of old food left in the kitchen cupboards, including a jar of moldy passata. We are happy to have kitchen basics left for us, but some of this food looked as though it had been there for a very long time. Overall, there was not much space to put away our food and belongings. We came across a lot of dishes and cutlery that were not clean at all. There were broken or burnt-out lights in every room, also several old broken-down chairs in the kitchen, which I’m assuming were for the terrace??? The air conditioner in the main bedroom works but the swing feature seems to be broken, so it doesn’t actually swing but makes noise as though it is trying to - even when ‘swing’ is turned off. The second bedroom (which we did not use) is listed as having a queen bed, but it is actually very small - barely a double.
I’m sorry to be so negative, but I do want future guests to have accurate information. We have been traveling in southern Italy and Sicily for 9 weeks (5 in Sicily). This apartment was the most expensive we have had, and was one of the poorest. It’s a shame as there is definitely potential, just needs a little TLC.