We had a lovely stay at Casa Aranci, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mario and Eamon, the owners of this charming property, who were enormously kind and helpful not only in providing advice about how best to reach the many sights within the area, such as Etna, Catania, Taormina and Siracusa, but also in their assistance with making arrangements and negotiating with the local taxi service in addition to their recommendations on the many good restaurants within Acireale and elsewhere that would not otherwise be discovered by novice visitors. The well-equipped property, whose location is close to the church in Piazza Duomo, has a superb balcony from which to observe Sicilian life and enjoy beautiful sea views, especially at sundown with something cold and alcoholic; and is also in a great location to walk down to the quaint fishing village of Santa Maria La Scala to enjoy some excellent sea food and yet more beautiful sea views.
The old town of Acireale is lovely and remarkably un-touristy given its proximity to Catania. It also serves as a convenient base from which to visit other significant sights on the Ionian coast; and if you like baroque architecture and very good, traditional Sicilian restaurants which are also very reasonably priced (e.g. €55-€65 for a family of 5, including starters, such as caponata and bruschetta, and main courses of pasta and pizza washed down with a 1 litre of good house wine) then Acireale is the place to be! Furthermore, we had the good fortune of our visit coinciding with Acireale's Carnevale that also occurs in early August, as well as in February, which was also thoroughly worthwhile experience.
Finally, we had an excellent time in Acireale and on Sicily's Ionian coast, and this was in no small part due to the help of Casa Aranci’s very kind and hospitable owners, Mario and Eamon. We would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Casa Aranci to anyone looking to explore this lovely part of the world.