We had a brilliant time at Gerardo's place. He is a friendly host who met us at check in and showed us around the apartment and how to work things. He was also readily contactable during our stay to provide assistance when necessary. The apartment was comfortable and was nicely furnished and quiet inside despite the noise on the road outside, which we could not hear once inside. The location is very much in a lively part of Catania, and we ate locally at restaurants with a local feel and not too many tourists. We hired a car for 24 hours and visited Siracuse and Etna, and had a great service from Etnarent who are downtown and convenient and very friendly, the young lady who spoke good English was great fun. Driving in Catania was a bit hairy for me, but there is good public transport, such as the train to Taormina, well worth a visit.
Thank you Gerardo for hosting us, we had a memorable holiday.