The superbly decorated Atelier 39, by Palermo Blu, is a one bedroom holiday apartment in the very heart of Palermo. On the ground floor of a building in a tree-lined avenue near the famous Teatro Massimo, it makes the ideal starting point from which to explore the stunning old town of this remarkable city: you can comfortably reach all of its major landmarks on foot.

You enter the apartment through a large entrance hall, which leads you into the living room. Flanked by beautiful art, you will find a comfortable sofa and armchair, as well as a large smart TV. A small study is furnished in Mediterranean style with two wicker chairs, a coffee table and writing desk.

The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you could need for a self-catering stay of any duration, including a microwave, coffee machine and dining table. Next to this is the spacious modern bathroom with walk-in shower, and then you will come to the double bedroom, where you can sleep looking up at a beautiful frescoed ceiling.

Outside, a small veranda completes the apartment, with a table and two chairs.

The flat is air-conditioned by a heat pump which can both heat and cool the space to keep you comfortable whatever time of the year you choose to visit Atelier 39.

Palermo – The most exciting city in Italy

“Palermo is noisy and chaotic!” they say. Is that a fact? Maybe it is right next to the motorway, but who wants to take a holiday there!? Certainly not our guests, who can choose from a range of luxury and well soundproofed apartments in the very centre of town.

Amongst European cities of its size, nowhere is a trendier pick for a city break or culture-filled getaway than Palermo. As the city sheds the old cliches of the twentieth century, travellers are thronging to the four historic neighbourhoods that make up its old town, its leafy boulevards and buzzing piazzas, and the newly-pedestrianised thoroughfares that are its main arteries.

The old town district of La Loggia even has its own marina, known as La Cala:

We can’t believe any city in Italy has changed more than Palermo over the past 20 years, so if you’re still picturing the old cliches of crime and chaos, you’ve got to come and see for yourself what everyone’s talking about.

Palermo is the perfect base for a winter holiday in Sicily. The summer tourists thin out noticeably by mid-October, but the weather is still glorious right up to Christmas. Even in January, the sun shines here for an average of four hours a day. Beat the crowds and discover the real Palermo with a winter getaway in the Mediterranean.