Albergo Athenaeum

Albergo Athenaeum’s location near the university informs its atmosphere: the place feels like an extension of a dorm building, with college-age students (and travelers in town for university graduations and conferences) hanging out in the common areas. With groups of young people comes a good bit of noise, but for travelers who don’t mind the sounds of talking and laughing -- and don’t mind basic accommodations -- Albergo Athenaeum should be a fine fit. The lobby itself is reasonably modern -- expect to see people taking it easy on the couches, posting up at the computer, and watching TV -- and the staff manning the 24-hour reception is genuinely cordial. There are adjacent eating areas, including the banquet room where the free breakfast is served. It’s all quite basic, but travelers whose expectations are properly managed should find it a perfectly suitable home-base for seeing Palermo’s sights.

Albergo Athenaeum is on a side road off of Via Ernesto Basile, the large road separating the hotel from the University of Palermo. It takes about 15 minutes to reach the old part of Palermo by way of Via Ernesto Basile, but the road is busy and not the most pleasant to walk along. Past travelers have described the hotel’s neighborhood as dodgy and appreciate Athenaeum’s free and secure underground parking. Via Ernesto Basile connects to E90, a major motorway in the northwest that connects to Cefalu. Without any traffic, the trip between the hotel and the airport takes about 30 minutes by car.

The main differences between the hotel’s 80 rooms is their occupancy -- single, double, or triple. Otherwise, rooms share the same features and basic style (tile floors, older furnishings, thin bedspreads, framed prints on walls painted either an earthy terra cotta or pale blue). All rooms feature flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning, empty mini-fridges, and free safes. Minty green tiled walls give the narrow bathrooms a throwback feel; there are small glass-door shower stalls (none of the rooms have bathtubs), hairdryers, and towels that are replenished daily. A long shared balcony runs along outside the rooms, giving all guests some outdoor space. Views are of the working-class neighborhood, with laundry air-drying from nearly every balcony in neighboring buildings. Wi-Fi is free in the rooms.

Like most hotels in Sicily, breakfast is included in the rates at Albergo Athenaeum. It tends to run out quickly, but if you go early, you’ll find a nice spread of hard-boiled eggs, meats, cheese, toast, cakes, and pastries (including the popular Nutella doughnuts). Guests can help themselves to the fresh juice or Nescafe coffee machine. The hotel’s restaurant serves Italian/Sicilian dishes for lunch and dinner; expect menu items like local fish, saltimbocca, chicken escalope, spaghetti, and local red wine. The restaurant is happy to accommodate groups for graduation parties or working lunches. There’s a bar area between the lobby and restaurant that’s frequently populated by young people hanging out and watching sports on the flat-screen TVs.

There is a meeting room available for conferences for up to 50 people; catering options for coffee or lunch are available through the restaurant. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there is a computer/printer in the lobby that guests are free to use. Parking is free in the hotel’s secure underground lot.