We enjoyed our weekly stay in Sophia's apartment. Even though the building and the area look messy, the apartment itself is clean, well-equipped, spacious and tastefully designed.
The location is very central, the cathedral and the Norman palace are a 15-minute walk away. The area is what you would call either traditional/authentic or run-down, depending on your point of view. There's indeed garbage in the streets, but it's not much better in other parts of Palermo. Apart from the look, the area felt safe and the local people were freindly. Often there was music coming from the streets or from other apartments, but not during the night. There isn't much traffic since it's in a local street. With windows closed and AC on, we slept very well.
Parking in the streets is free and we always found a spot quickly and near. Just watch out not to park over a car entrance. One time we did, a local lady politely asked us to move the car a bit so that we didn't block the door.
We didn't meet Sophia in person, since we got there very late in the evening, but the directions she gave us for self check-in were clear. The communication was smooth, in English.