Giovanni (the driver) picked us up at the airport and took us to the apartment but beforehand gave us a quick tour of the town, he checked us in and showed us everything in the apartment although he doesn’t speak English and we don’t speak Italian it all went well, then he took us shopping to a local place where we could get meat, cheeses, olives and wine then to a fruitier then to the local butcher it was lovely of him to drive us and then back to the apartment as by then it was about 7pm. He then at the end of our stay met up with us in Palermo where he bought our luggage in the car and took us to the airport excellent convenient service, Thankyou Giovanni. Communication by Giovanni the owner was very prompt and help to organise transport and tips about local restaurants appreciated. The apartment is lovely very cosy and comfortable, good bed, good pillows, hot water works well good shower. Good assortment of cooking pots pans etc. coffee, milk and bread supplied ( nice touch) plenty of towels, soap, shampoo, beach towels. The view from the balcony is amazing right in the little port with a couple of pizzeria’s and a very good restaurant across the port. The locals are very friendly my husband visited the local barber for a shave and we had fun trying to communicate but it ended well. The town was gearing up for its festival to honour Santa Maria, lighting up the streets and the fairgrounds and the local church, there were bands practicing and stalls being setup it looked like it would have been a fun weekend. Porticello and Santa Flavia are pretty little towns and could be even better if all the rubbish was cleaned up we were shocked at this aspect we just weren’t expecting to see so much rubbish lying around in the streets the gutters on the beaches the rocks, there was a huge downpour on the first afternoon we were there we were walking and got caught in it and as there is no underground storm water drains all the water just pours into the street but then of coarse it picks up all the rubbish lying around and where did it end up in the Ocean we watched it like a river down the road, down the steps to the beach and all into the Sea where people swim and fish live, it was really sad to see this I just wish the locals and the local municipality would work harder to fix this I don’t know maybe they have no money it sure looks like it, it’s just sad for the fisherman, for future generations and if they want to advance tourism. This is however no reflection on the apartment or the host, just the immediate area.