Katia Amore is a welcoming and charming hostess. Her house is very well squared away for travelers, with three private bedrooms (one with a balcony), each with its own bathrooms. The beds were comfortable, and the bathrooms are modern and well appointed, which, we discovered, is not always the case elsewhere in Sicily. There is also a washing machine, so pack light (because you’ll have to car it up those steps). The terrace is the highlight, and yes it looks like the pictures on AirBnB. We really appreciated that the house is spacious, spare and modern, by which I mean that you have what you need for your stay, but there is no clutter.
If you plan to cook, and especially if you like to cook, the kitchen is really well equipped with modern appliances and everything you need to make meals. In addition, the house is well-situated near an excellent butcher, a couple of green grocers, a wine merchant, a panificio, and, of course, chocolate shops! While some of these vendors have little to no English, they were all friendly, and you can get by with a translation app and a little practice. Katia will happily give you the names of these places and their locations. Just ask. Also, even if you don’t love cooking, you should seriously consider taking a cooking class with Katia. She is extremely knowledgeable about Sicilian food, history, and culture, and you will glean a lot of useful information that will help guide you during your travels in Sicily, especially in selecting food. Be curious and ask questions. We learned a wealth of interesting and useful information from Katia in just a few hours.
As for those steps, they are obviously a problem for anyone who is not ambulatory and not capable of climbing several flights of steps in a row. However, the climb is worth the view your will get from the terrace and the balcony. Sitting on the terrace with wine and Módica chocolate on our first night was the perfect welcome to Sicily. Our stay was memorable, pleasant, and will stay with us, I’m sure, through the years.