Carmela's place is perfect: a good location close to the beach, shops, restaurants, very clean and comfortable. As we struggle to communicate in Italian, we spoke on the phone with Giulio and he regularly checked with us to see everything was okay - very good communication - but Giulio's parents are right next door and we were able to communicate well enough, and they were amazingly friendly and helpful and are beautiful people. I think it is better to stay in the Giardini-Naxos area with a good beach for swimming, and you can easily visit Taormina and Isola Bella, the regular bus is just €1.90, you pay on board, and the drivers are friendly and helpful with good English language skills.