History lovers will also be delighted with the surprise in the basement, but more about this later. You'll find a huge choice of restaurants and cafes on the doorstep as you wander around the fascinating maze that is Ortigia.
You enter via a door from this narrow street in the old ghetto area in Ortigia and will soon appreciate the palace's history when you walk through the atmospheric hallway, towards the inner courtyard, and into the communal lounges and finally your charming accommodation. Today this historical palace houses twenty four apartments, with both one and two bedrooms. It stands in the heart of Ortigia in between narrow and charming streets that beckon to be explored. The building is very beautiful and the large public lounge rooms are simply sensational, offering you many cosy and romantic corners to hide away in.
Read more about Alla Giudecca
The current owner, not surprisingly an architect, bought the mansion due to her fascination with its architectural lines. She was aware that a lot of work was required to make the palace habitable again and during this work she discovered a secret door with steps leading to somewhere that was blocked. After a lot of work and a large excavation underneath the building, a so-called "Miqwé" (ancient Jewish bath) was discovered. It was built during Sicily's Byzantine period and is Europe's most significant Miqwé. Guests at Alla Giudecca may visit the public bath.
Alla Giudecca has been thoroughly restored and all the apartments are fitted with satellite TV, a safety deposit box and air conditioning. However, we should point out that kitchen facilities comprise of a kitchenette with two hot plates. In addition, some apartments have access to a terrace with a table and chairs, which is a wonderful opportunity to sit amongst Sicilian fruit groves in the early evening hours and enjoy the sweet aromas and a nice glass of wine. The apartments are unspecified and consequently you cannot book a particular one in the property.
We highly recommend Residence Alla Giudecca to couples who want to experience a magnificent piece of history in a historically endowed city. It's perfectly located for romantic strolls amidst the narrow and charming lanes of the Ortigia peninsula where many fine restaurants and cafes are located. The place does accept children, but we would not recommend the place to families with children due to the many stairs and little space available for children to play.
Read about the apartments at Alla Giudecca
Really great B&B with a nice location. Beautifully renovated building with very lovely apartments. The staff was kind and accommodating. Breakfast buffet was alright.
Fantastic hotel, great location, excellent service and comfortable rooms.
A very fine apartment. Central in the old part of town. Within walking distance most things. And if you want to get around the rest of the town, it can be done with local buses and taxis, of course.
The way the building was built/restored, it gave us the impression, that they've taken a lot of care of the local area, and at the same time kept it elegantly historical. For us tourists there also was everyday facilities.
A lot of cigs and small streets. Where everyday life was also lived by the local population. It's also nice to see other things than tourists.
We had an amazing breakfast in the hotel, but were otherwise out in the city. There are a lot of good places to eat, which the hotels staff had a lot of experience with. With the map crossed off, we were set. And on your own through the town, there is a lot of fine, small places to eat and relax.
The view from the town's "edge" to the surrounding ocean, was in itself an experience. Whether the sun was shining, or it was raining, there was the view over towards sea.
An absolute well functioning hotel. Great room, many stairs to get there, but the reward in form of a terrace with a lovely view, was absolutely worth it. The hotel lies in the middle of the very charming, old part of town. We will hopefully be back.
You can't stay at a more central and authentic place than Hotel Alla Giudecca. Its not luxury, but very charming and the staff provides you with kindness and personal service. We can only recommend this place.
Located in the centrum, but still in a quite area.
Lovely apartment with own rooftop overlooking the city.
Very friendly staff.
The only sad thing was that the breakfast buffet was almost empty after 20 minutes and it took them like 15 minutes to refill the coffee, bread etc.