This is about so much more than a place to stay. While the 'penthouse' is sweet and spacious, it's the hospitality and the hosts that make this place special. Mascalucia is a sweet, small town outside of Catania with bakeries, coffee bars, restaurants, etc. Samuela welcomed us with her wonderful warmth and delicious homemade cannolis - two different varieties! She was warm and generous from the moment we met her.
We had read about Andrea's abilities as a guide and, after meeting him, we decided to hire him to be our guide for 4 days. We had a sense of what we wanted to see but Andrea's knowledge of Sicily and perception of what we would like led us to simply surrender to his itineraries. We were not disappointed! Andrea has a gift for knowing what his guests value and he took us to places we would never have known to visit ourselves. And his knowledge of history, art, architecture, fishing, and Sicilian culture and tradition brought Sicily to life for us. We never would have seen or learned as much as we did without Andrea as our guide - whether it was the climb up Mt. Enta or strolling through the streets of Siracusa and Catania. It (and he) did not disappoint. Quite the contrary, we were amazed every day by the depth of his knowledge and his passion for Sicily. I can easily and enthusiastically recommend Samuela and Andrea. You will be better for knowing them. And your holiday will be enriched beyond words.