I stayed with Federica and Alessandro for a month, and through their introduction, Palermo really became an eye opening experience for me, while they became dear friends. no matter if you want to stay in the city just for a couple of days or for a longer period, I can highly recommend you to make casa gioia your base. it is located beautifully in one of those small, atmospheric streets in the old city center, from where you can discover everything by foot. from the balcony, you have a magnificent view over a nearby church and a cluster of labyrinthine rooftops. federica is an amazingly friendly, welcoming and warm hearted Person, and she disposes of a vast array of knowledge about which places to visit, where to find the best swordfish and melanzane pasta, or how to get around. she is a great host and will help you discover aspects of palermitan life and culture that are hard to find on your own. I felt really at home there, and so this is the only bad thing about this place: you might feel a bit sad when you have to leave it again.