We found Claudia's place to be the perfect accommodation for our trip to Sicily. It's about half an hour's drive from Catania airport and relatively easy to get to. Catania itself is busy and it was good not to have to navigate the traffic of the city centre. Access from Mascalucia to the motorway is quick, and from there it's very straightforward to get to places like Syracuse and Taormina, both of which are well worth a visit. Equally, access to Mt Etna National Park is easy from the accommodation.
We stayed in a former grape pressing room, and our bedroom was the spacious mezzanine floor where we think the grapes were deposited, and from where they were tipped into large vats for pressing by foot. Claudia's husband Roberto explained this to us, and said the impressive building had been in his family for several generations.
The building sits in a beautiful garden filled with the scent of orange and tangerine blossom, and is an oasis of calm. We sat and had our breakfast on the verandah beneath an amazing trellis of green leaves and orange/pink flowers which were just coming into bloom. We were the only guests. Roberto and Claudio live in a different part of the building but were so discreet, we hardly knew they were there. They were only too pleased to help with any queries we had. The entire premises is gated and secure, and felt very safe. You will love Rudi the little dog who made friends with us the moment we arrived.
There is free parking directly opposite the gate which can be busy at times and very empty at other times. We always found a place to park and it was incredibly convenient. Franzy's supermarket is just beyond the little park opposite and is open on Sunday mornings. And Ottogono is close by and sells a range of sweet and savoury treats. It has long opening hours.
All in all we would highly recommend this Claudia's accommodation. It feels a very special place and ticks all the boxes.