Palazzo Scammacca

This is a family owned business with apartments and suites, a wine bar with nice snacks linked to a winery on or near Mount Etna. As a guest of the house you get discounts on food and beverage that already had friendly prices. You’re living in a Palazzo where you blip your self in and out during the quiet times of the day. At nighttime the mood lit courtyard comes alive and is used for various hangouts, food, sometimes cultural activities. Daytime the courtyard is unassuming. There’s also a small vault theatre stage in the property The biggest plus of this space is its extraordinary picturesque neighbourhood with all major sites in the city on a walking distance. Charming and friendly is a good way to label it. With great staff and a welcoming host. You feel like local in a way. It felt secure and will most definitely come back next year!

If you’re looking for hotel with 24 concierge, reception, gym and a spa, this is not it. It’s more a guest house with fancy rooms that looks very picturesque and oversea the plaza outside or the courtyard. For the same reason it’s charming and feels authentic, it’s can also be lively outside. I stayed in one of the less fancy apartments that seem to be attached to the series of suites. It was spacious apparent with all you. We’d, including a washing machine and a kitchen with the usual Air B&B style amenities. Side note, and thus might be an Italian thing, but breakfast is somewhat limited. Not your usual Swedish or Polish or British hotel breakfast buffet with 100 options. Think more “continental” with the option to order an omelette. To be fair: I’ve never been to a hotel in Italy that had what I consider to be a proper buffet. Then again, you’re not travelling to Italy for that. Italian lunches, dinners and suppers on the other hand never end!

It’s comfortable and central.

Towel was dirty on towel rack and there were no staff available for check in and check out. On check out I called a guy to ask where to leave key and pay city tax, he told me to ask breakfast people. Went to main area and nobody to be found for 10-15mins. Maybe this is written somewhere but this place also hosts really loud stage events in the courtyard directly outside the rooms.

This is a hotel with personality. It consists of a few rooms in a renovated old villa. Part of the decoration is original (stucco ceiling, floor tiles) part modern. Overall a cool place. The staff were very friendly. The location (if you don't have a car) could not be better.

No issues

The location of this places is great. We had the Nerello – Suite and it is two floors and quite big. Downstairs includes a kitchen and upstairs bedroom, bathroom and a terrace. Weather was not that great when we were there so we did not get to use it.

Check in was very brief and we did not get details like wifi password. There did not seem to be any cleaning and change of towels - but we did get new towels when we asked for it. There seems to be a restaurant, jazz club on the ground floor so it was very noisy when trying to sleep at night. We only got one key which is not very practical when you are two guests exploring the town. There was a small safe but no key and this was not attached to anything.