Place: This place is clean and SUPER close to the main attraction areas of Palermo and the Cathedral. It is safe and the place is super adorable! It's your own little apartment/house inside an complex and the decorations of the house is amazing. It's very cozy and Sicilian style home decor, yet it's very modern! The place looks newly renovated and I had a chance to try some of the fruits Marina grew from her own back yard! They were very delicious and I probably ate half of them LOL. If you like cooking or you are looking to stay longer, Marina has a full set kitchen, utensils, and tools (pots and pans). I will definitely stay here again!
Host: Marina is very warm and welcoming. I had some trouble getting to Palermo and meeting her because I lost my phone data plan, so I couldn't text her even if I had arrived. However, she used her mom instincts to find me and she also waited HOURS for me, which was very very considerate. I had many questions for her and she calmly responded to all of them and she told me not to worry. She was the Italian mom I needed! Her husband is also very very sweet and met me to greet me as well. Overall very warm, kind, and motherly. Her food suggestion was EXCELLENT! I went to Sardina Pasta Bar thanks to Marina's suggestion and the seafood pasta was amazing! The staff were also very nice too and I made sure to mention Marina's name, and they all treated me like a local :) Overall my memories in Palermo was really good all thanks to Marina and her husband. I will definitely return again to her place!
The only small downside is that the house door is difficult to open, but this is because I am not used to south Italian key/doors. If you are also new to this idea, I would suggest please make sure you physically know how to open the door before Marina leaves! I had to ask Italians walking by to help me open the door LOL