My sister and I stayed in the Via Tivoli house for a week at the end of May and really felt that we had been blessed with finding the perfect little house for our needs. We like to stay in places which give a feel for the local life and we certainly achieved that. Francesca was exceedingly helpful both with information before we booked our holiday and then by buying some basic provisions (we were arriving on a Sunday) and meeting at the bus terminal in Modica. She gave us some interesting insights into local life and politics. As we were not a ‘couple’, we wanted separate sleeping areas and Francesca accommodated our needs by putting a second bed downstairs in place of the sofa. The weather was perfect – mid twenties centigrade and upwards which was a relief after months of relentless wetness at home in Wales, UK. We decided not to hire a car (in spite of being urged to do so by various tourist advisers!) and we really enjoyed using the buses and the train which, with a bit of careful planning got us everywhere we wanted to go. It also had the benefit of being more relaxing and meant that we rubbed shoulders with local people, trying out our embryonic Italian! The restaurants we were directed to by Francesca were great and we had some really good Sicilian food. Our stay also coincided with the festival of Madonna delle Millizie which gave us further enjoyable insight into local customs. The house is easy walking distance from the main square, the shops and all the touristy things you may want to see in Scicli. I would recommend a visit to Don Carmelo’s restored cave dwelling which was inhabited by his grandfather. And of course there is lots of interest in the local and neighbouring areas for Inspector Montelbano fans!! I look forward to a return visit to Scicli at some point in the future.