Bed and Breakfast Opera

The hosts made me feel so welcome and appreciated, they were incredibly nice. The rooms were quiet, which I didn’t expect given how central the place is. Everything I wanted to see in Catania was within walking distance, and breakfast was really good for 10 Euro. I’ll definitely come back.

We were there for two weeks, and Antonella took great care of us. She even offered to handle our laundry. Our room was cleaned daily and had a nice-sized refrigerator. There’s also an outdoor terrace with tables and chairs, and in the afternoons we could hear opera singers rehearsing at the nearby Opera Bellini. Most historic sites and plenty of good restaurants were an easy walk away. The downside is the stairs: the rooms are on the third floor of an old building with no elevator. I hated the climb for the first two or three days, but got used to it after that.

The room had a bad smell, and the bathroom smelled of sewage. They tried to cover it with an air freshener, but it was still unpleasant. It may have been a poorly made drain. The smell was there most of the time, even with ventilation and an open window. I’m sure this was just our room, since the others looked better on the website and I hadn’t heard of similar problems. We had suite Bellini, with stairs up to a loft double bed and a small kitchen underneath. For three people it felt cramped, unlike the space shown for other rooms on the website, and there wasn’t much room to store things or move around. It’s also on the second floor, accessible only by stairs, though the friendly staff offered to help with luggage. That’s common in the old parts of Sicilian cities, from what I saw. There were plenty of positives. The staff were lovely, and we could check in right away when we arrived in Catania in the morning. They gave me useful information about Catania and the surrounding area, which made booking trips to Etna and Alcantara easy. The old town and attractions are just steps away. We spent four days there and visited Catania, Etna, Noto and Syracusa with Ortigia. The Italian breakfast included an omelette option for me. The place was very clean, with good sanitation, clean towels, air conditioning, and a shower with steady pressure and hot water. Everything had a pleasant atmosphere in the city center.

We’d stay here again. The location is great, though be ready for 52 steps up. We hardly saw staff beyond breakfast, apart from Antonella. She turned a good two-week visit into an excellent one.