Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

4.8
Based on 894 ratings
Read 894 verified reviews by travelers who booked their trip to Italy on kimkim. You can also read reviews about kimkim on 3rd party sites including Google, TrustPilot and Yelp.

Exceptional experience for a worry-free vacation!
Italy | Dec 29 - Jan 7, 2025

Kara
Kara D.
Dallas, TX | Reviewed on Jan 15, 2025
This was our first experience with KimKim and we had such an exceptional experience. The hotels that were selected for us were in perfect locations for the type of touring we wanted to do—within walking distance to attractions, public transit, great neighborhoods and yummy restaurants. We are an active family who like experiencing the more “local” flavor or places, and Bea did a great job of planning and adjusting our trip to fit our personal preferences and personality. There was the right... Read more

This was our first experience with KimKim and we had such an exceptional experience. The hotels that were selected for us were in perfect locations for the type of touring we wanted to do—within walking distance to attractions, public transit, great neighborhoods and yummy restaurants. We are an active family who like experiencing the more “local” flavor or places, and Bea did a great job of planning and adjusting our trip to fit our personal preferences and personality. There was the right amount of scheduled activities and downtime for personal exploring. We were totally impressed with the warm demeanor of all of our tour guides, who also gave great, local recommendations of places to eat/things to see. It was such a gift for me to not have to plan and hold all of the details so I could be present with my family. We are so grateful for the memories we made and have since recommended KimKim to many friends looking for a memorable travel experience. Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews
Rome Life Hotel
Rome

This hotel is in a fabulous location with a helpful staff and clean, comfortable accommodations.

Authenticity & Character
This is a more modern place but we loved the breakfast area and sitting spaces, where we were able to play cards and chat during downtime.
Location
We loved the walkable, easy access to the Collosseum, Metro and Monti neighborhood (with great restaurants).
Staff
So kind—especially the bellman who delivered our bags.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Refreshed daily. Love.
Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments
Naples

This hotel was right outside the bustling Piazza Bellini—which was full of local life and markets/food. We loved the courtyard, which immediately provided a respite from the busy city, and our flat, which was cozy, clean and very comfortable.

Authenticity & Character
This is a really quaint, bright hotel.
Location
So close to easy pick up spots for tours and nightlife/Naples life etc.
Staff
Their suggestions of where to go and what to see how to easily access these things. We ate amazing food in Naples and the hotel staff helped!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Somehow our room was on a crazy busy piazza but it was also very quiet. So nice to sleep well in a place after busy travel days!
Hotel Meninas
Madrid

We loved the charm of this place and the friendly people who greeted us every time we came and went. Again, super helpful folks with great suggestions—who made reservations for us so we could enjoy the 3 Kings parade as soon as we got to town.

Authenticity & Character
The stairwell in this hotel is charming—and the room was just right. We appreciated the daily refresh and the overall cleanliness of the space.
Location
We loved the easy access to city attractions, transportation and eateries. We also liked that the hotel is in a side street so just a little bit away from the hustle!
Staff
Again, so great and helpful. I couldn’t believe they offered to make our reservations for us—which is amazing when you don’t speak the language!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience
Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere Food Experience
Rome

We loved this whole evening—it was the perfect start to our trip and a great introduction to Rome. Silvia, our guide, was the best—she was kind, funny, and gave great information about the food and history around the neighborhoods where we ate. We had our 16 and 19 year old with us who also loved the entire experience (and Silvia!). This was a trip highlight for all of us—highly recommend!

Quality of Experience
The food was delicious and the commentary just awesome.
Food
So fun to try local, delicious bites and walk through so many cool neighborhoods during the process.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Silvia. We loved Silva. She made our photo book!
Local specialist: Beatriz De Pablo Rocha

Perfect hotels and tour. Highly recommend.
Italy | Jan 3 - Jan 9, 2025

Dale
Dale S.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Jan 13, 2025
Everything went effortlessly. All the ride transitions from the airport to the train station to the hotel to the tours were scheduled for us and arrived on time and were great companies. The hotel choices made by the team at kimkim were perfect and in ideal locations. The tour was excellent. There were no issues on the whole trip everything went according to the plan and was better than I could have hoped for. Read more

Everything went effortlessly. All the ride transitions from the airport to the train station to the hotel to the tours were scheduled for us and arrived on time and were great companies. The hotel choices made by the team at kimkim were perfect and in ideal locations. The tour was excellent. There were no issues on the whole trip everything went according to the plan and was better than I could have hoped for.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Palazzo Guadagni
Florence

Great location. Authentic feel. Beautiful rooftop bar. Awesome views from the room. Service was impeccable.

Authenticity & Character
Quaint and charming.
Location
Everything is within a 5-10 minute walk.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Scalinata di Spagna
Rome

Great location at the top of the Spanish steps. Many sites within 10 minutes walk. And other attractions like the Colosseum are a 10 minute taxi ride. Beautiful rooms with your own terrace. Friendly helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Walking distance to many historical sites and short drive from the Colosseum.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Review
Day trip in the Tuscan countryside, wine tour, lunch and guided visit to San Gimignano
Day trip in the Tuscan countryside, wine tour, lunch and guided visit to San Gimignano
Italy

I wasn't originally in favor of doing tours but this ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. The tour takes you to several locations and gives you an authentic experience.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very knowledgeable and professional guides and drivers.
Transport
Local specialist: Elisa Sciabica
Elisa
Elisa Sciabica
Local specialist in Milan | Replied on Jan 13, 2025

Thank you so much, Dale! We are truly delighted to hear that everything went smoothly and that every detail of your trip exceeded expectations. We are grateful to you for choosing us and we look forward to helping you plan more memorable trips in the future!

Maria-you exceeded all our expectations for o...
Italy | Dec 23 - Dec 30, 2024

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Laura G.
Surprise, AZ | Reviewed on Jan 01, 2025
Maria-you exceeded all our expectations for our family trip to Rome and Florence to celebrate Chris holidays. The tours, restaurants and recommendations for walking while we had down time on our own were perfect and we cannot wait to come back and experience even more (hopefully soon!). Thank you for everything!
Laura
Read more

Maria-you exceeded all our expectations for our family trip to Rome and Florence to celebrate Chris holidays. The tours, restaurants and recommendations for walking while we had down time on our own were perfect and we cannot wait to come back and experience even more (hopefully soon!). Thank you for everything!
Laura

Hotel Reviews
GCF Luxury Suites
Roma

Centrally located, clean and grey space for us and our two older kids. Walked to everything nearby.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Glance
Firenze

Perfectly located to walk everywhere and experience all the amazing streets of Florence!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
2 Restaurant Reservations
Rome

Delicious!!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel
Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel
Rome

Learned a lot and loved seeing everything thru the eyes of our guide.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class
Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class
Florence

The best family-friendly class with great people from all over the world. What we made and ate exceeded our expectations and we had so much fun!! Jon-our chef-was superb and taught us a lot o about Florentine life.

Quality of Experience
Food
All of it!!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo
Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo
Italy

Very detailed history tour!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Colosseum Tour Including Roman Forum
Private Colosseum Tour Including Roman Forum
Rome

Julia is amazing!! We learned so much!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Maria Grazia Rubino
Maria Grazia
Maria Grazia Rubino
Local specialist in Italy | Replied on Jan 02, 2025

Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that your family trip to Rome and Florence was everything you hoped for—and more. It was such a pleasure helping you celebrate the holidays in these beautiful cities!
There’s so much more to explore, and we'd love to help you plan your next adventure whenever you're ready (hopefully soon!).

Wishing you all the best and looking forward to your return!

Warm regards,
Maria Grazia & Storywalking Team

Good not great
Italy | Nov 12 - Nov 22, 2024

C
charley w.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Dec 12, 2024
The good: entire trip was pre-planned so we literally just had to get ourselves to the airport. But from landing in Rome to leaving Rome 11 days later everything was taken care if. If you have questions, or a driver is late, whatever, the person helping you via the app was super fast and responsive. Very white glove. For us, Rita was on point. The highlights of our trip were a guided walking tour of Florence, which was simply amazing. I don’t remember our guides name, but she understood... Read more

The good: entire trip was pre-planned so we literally just had to get ourselves to the airport. But from landing in Rome to leaving Rome 11 days later everything was taken care if.

If you have questions, or a driver is late, whatever, the person helping you via the app was super fast and responsive. Very white glove. For us, Rita was on point.

The highlights of our trip were a guided walking tour of Florence, which was simply amazing. I don’t remember our guides name, but she understood architecture and art and made the three hours absolutely fascinating. The other highlight was our cooking class in Rome, which was an absolute blast.

The less good: we were planning a day trip to the Amalfi coast. They said it was about an eight hour day. But the night before, luckily, we looked at maps and realized the drive from Rome to Amalfi was three hours and 15 minutes or more. So given that we were going to be in the car for approximately seven hours, we weren’t sure how it was going to be an eight hour day. When we contacted them, they said oh yeah actually it’s a 12 hour day. And of those 12 hours, yes we’re gonna be in the car 7 to 8 hours driving to and from Amalfi and then around the area once we’re there. We were just not psyched about spending that much time in a car and we’re disappointed that the trip was so misrepresented. They did change it for us so that we could do something else around Rome that day. We basically had a car that took us to some of the local villages outside of Rome and that was pretty fun. But it was certainly a lot cheaper than the 12 hour day to Amalfi coast and yet they didn’t offer to rebate us any money. So that experience was disappointing.

The other less good… we had a day trip to sienna from Florence. And why we loved Sienna, and our driver was lovely, it turns out that he was only a driver who dropped us off in Siena and we were on our own. We sort of thought that he would drive us to sienna and then take us around. Sienna. And because we misunderstood that we sort of got to sienna and didn’t really know what to do. Because we didn’t do any research we thought we didn’t have to. Again, the driver was lovely, but it was just sort of a strange misunderstanding.

The final less good…the cost. Look if you’re insanely wealthy and don’t care then don’t read this paragraph. But we spent quite a bit of money to hire Kim Kim, and in the end felt like we received a lot of drivers and several guided tours that we probably could’ve booked ourselves. And like I said when we changed our 12 hour Amalfi excursion to an eight hour excursion just around Rome they didn’t refund us any money.

So overall sort of a mixed bag for us. Not sorry we hired Kim Kim, but also not sure we would do it again. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone from Kim Kim, who was so lovely in dealing with us. They were very, very nice.

Local specialist: Rita Pagano
Rita
Rita Pagano
Local specialist in Madrid | Replied on Jan 09, 2025

Hi Charley, thank you for sharing your feedback! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the pre-planned itinerary, the responsive support via the app, and highlights like the walking tour in Florence and the cooking class in Rome. We apologize for any misunderstandings regarding the Amalfi Coast and Siena experiences. Your feedback is important to us and we’ll take it into account to improve the experience for future travelers. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience and truly appreciate you choosing us. We hope to have the opportunity to assist you with future journeys! Warm regards, Rita 😊

Beautiful and unique trip that we never could have dreamt up on our own!
Italy | Nov 28 - Dec 8, 2024

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Bianca M.
Los Angeles, CA | Reviewed on Dec 09, 2024
Absolutely beside myself at how well-planned our trip to Italy was. Anita and her team did such an incredible job taking our vision and making it much more than we could have imagined. I feel like we took such a unique trip that we will be reminiscing about for the rest of our lives. Everything from the off-the-beaten-path tours to the smooth and professional drivers and transfers...we were blown away at the experience. Thanks so much! Read more

Absolutely beside myself at how well-planned our trip to Italy was. Anita and her team did such an incredible job taking our vision and making it much more than we could have imagined. I feel like we took such a unique trip that we will be reminiscing about for the rest of our lives. Everything from the off-the-beaten-path tours to the smooth and professional drivers and transfers...we were blown away at the experience. Thanks so much!

Hotel Reviews
Sorrento City Hotel
Sorrento

Great location and attentive staff. The breakfast had wonderful variety and felt very homey.

Authenticity & Character
Small but well thought out. Not the coziest hotel I've ever been to, but gets the job done well.
Location
Right on the main street of Sorrento. Very easily walkable and lively.
Staff
Kind staff. Breakfast attendants were very warm.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Pietra Campana Italian Villa
Orvieto

Cannot give this villa enough praise. The location is absolutely breath-taking. The service and warmth of the staff was so wonderful. The spaciousness of the room was also wonderful. Highly recommend!!

Authenticity & Character
I felt like I was staying with a family member in the Italian countryside.
Location
Unbelievable panoramic views of Orvieto, while still being a very short drive from the city.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Maison du Sage
Florence

What a cool, unique guest house in such a fun part of town!

Authenticity & Character
The art deco decor was so cool while still giving a very cozy environment.
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean and super comfortable. The couch/daybed was an amazing touch. We loved!
Activity Review
Private Full Day Amalfi Experience
Private Full Day Amalfi Experience
Italy

It rained the whole day but we made the most of it. Was really fun to travel the Amalfi Coast during off-season. If there's any way to request Giuseppe as your driver/guide, you MUST!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Giuseppe was top notch!
Transport
Local specialist: Anita Matijasevic
Anita
Anita Matijasevic
Local specialist in Madrid & Florence | Replied on Dec 12, 2024

Hi Bianca, thank you for taking the time to write your trip review! I am glad to hear that everything went just as we planned (except the rain on the Amalfi Coast) and that you enjoyed your vacation! I hope to be able to help you again for your future trips to Italy, Spain, Morocco or Portugal. I wish you all the best 😊 Kind regards, Anita

Cote d'Azur trip 2024
Italy | Sep 13 - Sep 19, 2024

Claudio
Claudio A.
Woodrow, NY | Reviewed on Dec 02, 2024
Our trip to the Cote d'Azur, just like our trip to Paris last year, was better than anticipated. So many beautiful views, so many art masterpieces, so much history.
In addition, the hotels were clean, comfortable and conveniently located.
Everyone involved in our trip was tremendously cordial and knowledgeable. From the hotels’ staff, to the tour guides, to the drivers. Plus, we had some wonderful food, especially delicious seafood.
We saw so many beautiful sights, too many to list... Read more

Our trip to the Cote d'Azur, just like our trip to Paris last year, was better than anticipated. So many beautiful views, so many art masterpieces, so much history.
In addition, the hotels were clean, comfortable and conveniently located.
Everyone involved in our trip was tremendously cordial and knowledgeable. From the hotels’ staff, to the tour guides, to the drivers. Plus, we had some wonderful food, especially delicious seafood.

We saw so many beautiful sights, too many to list here. The churches are like museums, of course. Along with several look-out points all along the coast, the castles and citadels offered wonderful views, but be ready to climb lots of steps.

We were expecting to see beautiful views, masterpieces and history, as these are all listed in tour brochures and tour books; but a couple of things still managed to surprise us. One was the Cosquer cave attraction in Marseille. For someone like me, who loves history and prehistory, that ride was both fun, educational and a wonderful surprise.
We were also wonderfully surprised when we went to visit Port Grimaud, dubbed "Little Venice" by the locals. It is not Venice, by any means, but those beautiful canals and romantic bridges definitely reminded us of “La Serenissima”.

The staff at KimKim was extraordinary. Quite knowledgeable and able to accommodate even our last minute trip changes.

I would definitely highly recommend a similar trip to anyone.

Local specialist: Tomaz Martinek
Tomaz
Tomaz Martinek
Local specialist in Slovenia | Replied on Dec 03, 2024

Thank you for your kind review! We’re delighted your trip to the Côte d’Azur exceeded expectations, with its stunning views, rich history, and excellent service. Unique highlights like the Cosquer Cave and Port Grimaud sound unforgettable. We appreciate your recommendation and look forward to planning your next adventure!

The people and trips were simply amazing! We ...
Italy | Sep 28 - Oct 11, 2024

Todd
Todd J.
Eau Claire, WI | Reviewed on Nov 19, 2024
The people and trips were simply amazing! We highly recommend food tours to get to know the cities and regions. Read more

The people and trips were simply amazing! We highly recommend food tours to get to know the cities and regions.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Firenze
Venice

The staff were very polite and full of recommendations. They made us feel right at home.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Bigallo Florence
Florence

The room was very, very small. The staff were okay, but not warm and friendly.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Florida Residence
Positano

Wow! No words can describe the view! The staff were beyond amazing. So friendly and helpful!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
I can't say enough about how friendly and caring the staff treated us.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel del Mare
Sorrento

We weren't pleased with the view of our first room. It looked at a side of another building and there was a dead bird outside. I mentioned it to the front desk assistant. They worked hard to fix our concern by moving us to another room the next day. I can't thank them enough! Very friendly and helpful!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Great location! We were able to walk to the water and to the downtown.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Venice Bacari  Food Tour
Venice Bacari Food Tour
Venice

The guide was fantastic and authentic! Excellent way to meet people and become familiar with your surroundings!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Wine tasting & dinner in Chianti vineyard
Wine tasting & dinner in Chianti vineyard
Italy

This was our most memorable activity on our trip! Food and wine were incredible. We met so many new friends!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Tuscany Highlights: Siena, San Gimignano & Pisa with lunch & wine tasting
Tuscany Highlights: Siena, San Gimignano & Pisa with lunch & wine tasting
Florence

Fantastic guide and the towns were full of history! We particularly enjoyed the food and wine tastings!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Capri Cruise
Capri Cruise
Italy

This trip was canceled due to weather.

Local specialist: Chris Gravas
Chris
Chris Gravas
Local specialist in Athens, Greece | Replied on Nov 20, 2024

Dear Todd,

Thank you very much for providing detailed feedback and ratings for the tours, experiences, guides, and hotels. I am glad that you enjoyed this trip and that all people and support staff were amazing and eager to offer a memorable experience. I hope to plan another similar experience for you again, perhaps in Greece.

Wishing you happy holidays ahead and all the best for your future travels!

Kind regards,
Chris

The guides on our trip were excellent. Federi...
Italy | Nov 3 - Nov 17, 2024

A
Anil K.
Tulsa, OK | Reviewed on Nov 18, 2024
The guides on our trip were excellent. Federico, Luigi, Stephania, etc. Read more

The guides on our trip were excellent. Federico, Luigi, Stephania, etc.

Hotel Reviews
Duodo Palace
Venice

Clean hotel, centrally located. Staff, breakfast were very good. Friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character
Traditional
Location
Staff
Ariel.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Minerva Sorrento
Sorrento

Magnificent location with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Naples. Words cannot describe this hotel location. The first night there was a private banquet in their dining room. Despite this, the dining room manager Giuseppe put up a special table for us in a very nice location and served us an excellent dinner. We had a picturesque view of the Gulf of Naples from our room and balcony. Breakfast everyday was on the top floor patio overlooking the Gulf. I would come back here in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character
Golf=geous big room with all amenities.
Location
Beautiful view of the Gulf of Naples.
Staff
Unbelievably friendly staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean
Hotel Berchielli
Florence

Nice clean hotel, nicely located. Walking distance from all must see sites. Safe.

Authenticity & Character
Traditionally decorated
Location
Centrally locates and safe.
Staff
Friendly
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean
Al Manthia Hotel
Rome

Well located, safe.

Authenticity & Character
Was a two level room with bedroom upstairs. Steep stairs to go up.
Location
Centrally located and safe.
Staff
Staff was uptight, can be significantly improved
Cleanliness & Comfort
Clean hotel
Activity Reviews
Venice Private Bacari Tour
Venice Private Bacari Tour
Venice

Very good tour. Would recommend. A must do.

Quality of Experience
Guide was nice
Essential Venice
Essential Venice
Venice

Historic place visits.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Explore Pompeii - Private
Explore Pompeii - Private
Italy

Pompeii is a wonderful place to visit. Our guide was knowledgeable but was too descriptive.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Driver was great.
Tour of the Amalfi Coast
Tour of the Amalfi Coast
Italy

Ah, we were the only ones so it became a private tour. Excellent experience. Luigi our driver and guide was very good. Very knowledgeable and was a local person. Friendly and full of jokes and we had a lot of fun. Positano, Ravello, Amalfi were nice and the coast is just gorgeous. Along the way is Atrani where the movie “Equilizer 3” starring Denzel Washington was shot, just beautiful. If I have a choice to have a second home overseas or to retire overseas, this would be it.

Quality of Experience
Friendly driver.
Food
Food in Amalfi was tasty.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Luigi.
Transport
Clean car.
Walking tour of Florence (Private)
Walking tour of Florence (Private)
Florence

Saw all the historic sites.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Visit to Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena with lunch and wine tasting
Visit to Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena with lunch and wine tasting
Florence

Long day 7a to 7p. But must do and great trip. Winery in San Gimignano was nice. Siena is cultural and historic.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Tuscan cooking class with San Lorenzo food market
Tuscan cooking class with San Lorenzo food market
Florence

Magnificent experience. A small group. Roberta our chef was very very good. An absolute must do. Don’t miss it.

Quality of Experience
Food
Food tour among squares and fountains of Rome
Food tour among squares and fountains of Rome
Rome

We enjoyed this very much. Stephania was very very good and made our tour so enjoyable. She went above and beyond. Very pleasant and professional.

Quality of Experience
Excellent, excellent. An absolute must do.
Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
Rome

Breathtaking, overwhelming, wonderful experience.

Quality of Experience
Our guide Stephania was great.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Colosseum - Palatine Hill - Roman Forum
Colosseum - Palatine Hill - Roman Forum
Rome

Very nice tour. Guide was wonderful.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Chris Gravas
Chris
Chris Gravas
Local specialist in Athens, Greece | Replied on Nov 19, 2024

Dear Anil,

Thank you so much for your kind words and detailed feedback regarding all services provided during your trip, guides, drivers, hotels, and experiences. I am glad that you had a wonderful time with your wife and that we were also in communication during your trip for any further support. It was a pleasure working with you on this and I will be happy to plan another adventure for you in the future, perhaps in Greece :)

I wish you all the best for the holidays ahead and safe future travels!

Kind regards,
Chris

I knew that I needed help organizing my trip ...
Italy | Oct 23 - Oct 27, 2024

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Laura D.
Boston, MA | Reviewed on Nov 18, 2024
I knew that I needed help organizing my trip to Italy, because I had never been there before and I wanted to be able to relax while I was there with my college age daughter. I reached out to kimkim after seeing great reviews, to request trip planning for a 5-day trip to Varenna, on Lake Como, and Verona. The response to my request was super fast, which I appreciated because I contacted them just 6 weeks before my trip. Eleonora asked lots of questions, and then proposed a list of hotels... Read more

I knew that I needed help organizing my trip to Italy, because I had never been there before and I wanted to be able to relax while I was there with my college age daughter. I reached out to kimkim after seeing great reviews, to request trip planning for a 5-day trip to Varenna, on Lake Como, and Verona. The response to my request was super fast, which I appreciated because I contacted them just 6 weeks before my trip. Eleonora asked lots of questions, and then proposed a list of hotels and activities in each place. First, we had the most incredible view of Lake Como from our hotel balcony - it was magical. She recommended shopping in Bellagio (across the bay from Varenna), which was so adorable and had so many wonderful little shops and spots for aperativo. She signed us up for a tour of a beautiful historic villa, with a boat to drive us dock to dock. Then we drove to Verona to our next hotel, which was very centrally located in a beautiful historic district, just steps from the collosseum ruins. We had a food tour with Miriam - who was the highlight of Verona for us - who took us to taste local olive oil, wine, cheese, cured meat, candy, pizzetta rossa, and a traditional Veronese cake. I have limited mobility and so Eleonora went out of her way to research things that we could do that were within my ability, and our hotels were right in the center of everything in both Varenna and Verona, so we were just steps to delicious food. There was an issue with one of our hotel rooms, and her associate local Gabriele, solved it within 15 minutes. They made the trip easy, efficient, and enjoyable which was exactly what I wanted.

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Royal Victoria
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Milano & Spa
Verona
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Afternoon at leisure in Bellagio
Afternoon at leisure in Bellagio
Lake Como
Lake Como boat tour and guided visit of Villa del Balbianello
Lake Como boat tour and guided visit of Villa del Balbianello
Italy
Private food tour of Verona
Private food tour of Verona
Italy
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Eleonora Arrigoni

Overall, our trip to Italy was wonderful! The...
Italy | Oct 16 - Oct 31, 2024

Beth
Beth B.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Nov 13, 2024
Overall, our trip to Italy was wonderful! The information Marina gave us was for the most part very clear and timely and correct. We did experience a few glitches in communication which I will detail in a moment. But, again, overall, the drivers, guides, accommodations, and tours were really very good. The drivers were friendly and spoke English well enough for us to be able to communicate, and in many instances very well! The guides for the tours were well informed and passionate about... Read more

Overall, our trip to Italy was wonderful! The information Marina gave us was for the most part very clear and timely and correct. We did experience a few glitches in communication which I will detail in a moment. But, again, overall, the drivers, guides, accommodations, and tours were really very good. The drivers were friendly and spoke English well enough for us to be able to communicate, and in many instances very well! The guides for the tours were well informed and passionate about what they were telling us. I am not good with names and was going to get back on the Trip Plans App to retrieve some of those names, but it won't let me. The Trip Plans App was also very helpful in keeping directions, train tickets, guide names etc all at our fingertips! I liked that very much!
Back to our drivers & guides: Coliseum tour: wonderful guide!! Very engaging! We saw her the next day at the Vatican and she came up to us and spoke for a while. Lovely woman! AnnaMarie may have been her name?
The food tour: Delightful young woman, who conveyed the different vibes of the different areas well!
The cooking class: This was a blast! The chef was a lot of fun even though he didn't speak English! He made himself known, and our translator was fun and engaging with the whole group! I may get a pasta maker because of this class!
Pompeii tour: She was so knowledgeable and interesting to talk with! She really knew the history, and conveyed it well to us. Again I'm so sorry I don't have any names!
Trip to Capri Island: She was wonderful as well! Knowledgeable and fun to chat with about life style and cultural things. I enjoyed her very much!
Florence tour with David: Very good as well. She was personable and informative. There was quite a bit of standing while she spoke and that was a little hard. She knew her stuff about Michelangelo and David though and that showed in the way she spoke about the statue!
Our driver and guide for the 3 Tuscan towns were good too. Friendly and informative! The driver was very accommodating. His name was Johnny! We were ready earlier and he was there and we just started out before the time and changed the order of the towns to be seen. It was a lovely day!
Wine tasting day! Fabulous! I think Matthew was our driver/guides name. Funny, informative, (a little opinionated, but that was ok! We understood where he was coming from even tho we may not have agreed on all his points!) He was a lot of fun and we learned A LOT from him!
Jacob was our driver/guide for what should have been our day to Cinque Terre. The rain kept us away from there which was a great disappointment for me as that was the place I was most looking forward to. We went instead to Lucca and Pisa. The day was sunny but I was sad about not being able to spend the day by the sea. Jacob was excellent as well. He was very knowledgeable about all kinds of things and funny too. Seeing the Marble mountains driving by Carrara was a treat we didn't expect. Very cool!
I think our guide in Venice was "Henry" or the Italian equivalent of Henry! He was delightful as well! Really knew the subject of St Marks Basilica and the Doges palace well. There again, we stood quite a bit and that made us tired. That wasn't his fault tho!
Accommodations were very nice! Capo d/Africa hotel: Lovely, friendly staff. Positano Art hotel: very nice! Concierge there was very helpful and personable! Olympia Hotel in Venice: Super friendly staff!! Very helpful! Mamo apartment was very nice as well. I did call for them to come and fix something in our closet, but they couldn't make that happen. We called for additional toilet paper & trash bags and someone decided that it would be good to deliver them at 22:30! We were all in bed! At first I thought it would be far from the Florence sites but the location grew on me! There were several good restaurants we enjoyed very close to the apartment! Good job! :)
Now the down side of the trip were the following: Communication while in Italy. For the most part it was fine but there were several times that the drivers or guides had my sister-in-law, Julie's number. Julie began the process of planning the trip but had to back out in April, so I took over planning. I don't think Marina communicated with Julie anytime past June, so her number should not have been part of the itinerary. When we booked and had to give all our final information I took Julie's name off the list so it wouldn't be confusing, but it was still in Marina's files. Julie ended up getting several calls from Italy (mainly in the middle of the night!). That was annoying for Julie and frustrating for me as I couldn't get to our guides in a timely fashion. This happened most notably on the Vatican tour. Our guide was late, I believe, to begin with, and didn't use a sign with our name on it. She looked up Julie on facebook to see what she looked like to be able to find us. That obviously didn't work. I don't look like my SIL! :)
The Vatican tour was disappointing too as I had requested going to the Rafael Rooms specifically, and that got overlooked.
The other disappointment was the final day in Rome. We didn't get to go on the Appian Way bike tour because of traffic to the airport hotel. And we didn't get any type of refund for this either.
I think this stemmed from the fact that I had no idea about drive times to and from places. I wish that Marina would have explained drive times to me better. It didn't affect too much of the trip, but this last day we may have changed things around had we know about how long it took to get from the train station to the airport and back to town to take the tour. All we did that day was travel, but it wore us out! Plus day light savings time had just ended so it was getting dark sooner than it had up until that point. That threw us off as well. If Marina had explained to us that, since we wanted to stay at the A/P hotel, that we may be taking on too much, we could have cancelled that activity and saved a little bit of money. We did have a nice relaxing evening together at the hotel on that last night!
Oh! One other suggestion! It would have been helpful to have the name of the tour companies for the tours we were on. We would have then been able to be proactive in finding our guides a little quicker. As it was we were completely dependent on them finding us. Just a thought!
So as you can see we had a "Fantastico" trip to Italy! There were some rough spots, but nothing that would dampen my memories of this trip! I have already recommended KimKim to others planning trips to Europe and Italy in particular! Thank you for listening to me!

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo
Rome

Good location, friendly staff and the breakfasts included in the stay were very tasty!

Authenticity & Character
rooftop breakfast and bar in the evenings!
Location
walkable to historic attractions
Staff
Very friendly and helpful
Cleanliness & Comfort
No problems!
Art Hotel Pasitea
Positano

Lovely hotel! Concierge was super helpful in restaurant selection! He really seemed to enjoy seeing us when we'd come by the front desk!

Authenticity & Character
Fun artwork all over the place here!
Location
Beautiful views! Gorgeous
Staff
Very friendly staff and helpful. Spoke English well for us, which we appreciated!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Lovely rooms. Could have had a few more hooks, shelves & storage cabinets. A mini frig would have been nice too!
Mamo Florence Apartment
Firenze

Not as far from the Florence attractions as I initially thought but we did have to do a good bit of walking, which isn't bad! The staff was mostly accommodating to some of our needs. They couldn't come fix a closet issue, and brought us extra toilet paper and trash bags at 22:30! That was late for us Americans! We were in bed already! I would suggest having instructions for things like the coffee maker, washer/dryer & dishwasher. Letting us know what the checkout process was, and what to do with the trash would have been helpful too. Maybe having an information sheet with restaurants, markets, pharmacies etc would have been nice too. The lock for the door was something none of us had ever seen so that was a challenge initially but we got used to it! Overall a nice place to stay!

Authenticity & Character
City feel
Location
Good . Maybe could have been a little closer to town.
Staff
22:30 for delivery? not the best.
Cleanliness & Comfort
It was fine and clean and comfortable!
Activity Reviews
Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City
Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit: Arena Access, Gladiators Gate & Ancient City
Rome

Learned a lot! Lovely guide

Quality of Experience
learned a lot
Guides, Drivers and Staff
she was very engaging
Transport
we walked there!
La Dolce Vita: Private Golf Cart in Rome
La Dolce Vita: Private Golf Cart in Rome
Rome

Loads of fun! Guide was great and drove us all over the place! He was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of history & culture to us! He was losing his voice and we felt bad about that. a microphone would have help us and him out a bunch!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
so fun and a little scary on the streets of Rome! We had a lot of fun!
Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri
Day Excursion to Capri Island and Anacapri
Italy

Started out rainy but turned into a lovely sunny day! Really enjoyed the Funicular and the chair lift to the top of Anacapri!

Quality of Experience
Our guide was very personable and helpful
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Enjoyed our guide very much
Transport
I thought we would get to ride a hover craft out but we didn't get to That was the only downside. Funicular, Chairlift,ride over the MamaMia bridge! Very memorable
Day Excursion to Pompeii & Hercolanum
Day Excursion to Pompeii & Hercolanum
Italy

Fascinating to learn all the details of these ancient cities!

Quality of Experience
very informative.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Excellent! She knew her stuff and could convey it well to us!
Transport
Our driver to and from Pompeii/Positano was very conversational!
Guided Visit: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
Guided Visit: Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel
Rome

Interesting place. Lots of people. Didn't find our guide for about half an hour. It was beautiful but felt herded like cattle through the Sistine Chapel. Didn't get to see the Rafael Room which was on my list.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
She was passionate about the artwork she was telling us about
Transport
The driver to the Vatican was fine.
Italian Cooking Class with a Local
Italian Cooking Class with a Local
Rome

So fun! Loved this event! Made pasta and an appetizer and were served plenty of wine in the process! Friendly Chef, translator and staff too!

Quality of Experience
Engaging staff! Wine! Yummy food! Fun Chef!
Food
Great food! So fun!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Enthusiasm, outgoing personality!
Transport
the driver got us there! It was fine!
Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo
Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo
Florence

Good tour. Lots of information. Lots of standing which is hard sometimes! We did walk a lot though too!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
We walked and met her at the designated point.
Chianti Wine Half-Day Experience
Chianti Wine Half-Day Experience
Florence

So fun! Really enjoyed the wine, luncheon an both wineries! The guide was very friendly and talkative as well (I talked about him in my overall review

Quality of Experience
Food
Delicious! Italian lunch and olive oil and wine! Who could ask for anything more!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
friendly funny knowledgeable
Transport
driver was our guide! Good!
Day Trip to Siena, San Gimignano & Monteriggioni
Day Trip to Siena, San Gimignano & Monteriggioni
Florence

Fun day driving through the Tuscan countryside!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our driver was super friendly and helpful! He told all sorts of things about the area. Our guide in Sienna was good too! She enjoyed her town and liked telling people about it!
Transport
Driver was great!
Day Excursion to Cinque Terre
Day Excursion to Cinque Terre
Florence

Did not go to Cinque Terre because of rain. Very disappointing to me! We did go to Lucca and Pisa. It was sunny but didn't make up for not being able to see the sea!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our driver Jacob made the best of a bad situation. He was super friendly and explained a lot of things to us driving down the highways to our destinations!
Transport
Driver was excellent!
Local specialist: Marina Courtaut
Marina
Marina Courtaut
Local specialist in Madrid | Replied on Nov 25, 2024
Hi Beth! Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful review! 🤩I was thrilled to hear that your trip to Italy was overall a wonderful and memorable experience. It’s heartwarming to know that you enjoyed the accommodations, drivers, guides, and tours. Your enthusiasm for the cooking class, the wine-tasting day, and the memorable interactions with guides like “AnnaMarie” at the Colosseum and Vatican truly shines through! I am delighted to hear that the Trip Plans App was helpful in... Read more

Hi Beth! Thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful review! 🤩I was thrilled to hear that your trip to Italy was overall a wonderful and memorable experience. It’s heartwarming to know that you enjoyed the accommodations, drivers, guides, and tours. Your enthusiasm for the cooking class, the wine-tasting day, and the memorable interactions with guides like “AnnaMarie” at the Colosseum and Vatican truly shines through!

I am delighted to hear that the Trip Plans App was helpful in keeping all your travel details organized—making sure everything is at your fingertips is so important when traveling!

I truly appreciate your candid feedback regarding communication and logistical challenges. We deeply regret any confusion caused by outdated contact information and the issues that stemmed from it, especially during the Vatican tour. Your suggestion to include tour company names for easier coordination is a great idea, and we’ll definitely consider implementing it to make future trips even smoother for our travelers.

I am sorry to hear the weather for the Day Excursion to Cinque Terre was not the best and that you had to change plans. You always have to leave something to come back so I hope next time you visit Italy you can finally see Cinque Terre 😊

I hope to help you plan another “Fantastico” adventure for you in the future! Whether it’s a return to Italy or exploring Spain, Portugal or Morocco I will be delighted to assist you again 🤩 Grazie mille! Marina

Italy.......WOW!!!
Italy | Oct 20 - Nov 7, 2024

Shirley
Shirley R.
Ashburn, VA | Reviewed on Nov 10, 2024
We booked a duplicate trip that my sister in law and brother in law had already planned and reserved. We accompanied them on the trip. All our guides were fantastic and knowledgeable. We usually do not book tours, and was very impressed with our guides and small group tours. Read more

We booked a duplicate trip that my sister in law and brother in law had already planned and reserved. We accompanied them on the trip. All our guides were fantastic and knowledgeable. We usually do not book tours, and was very impressed with our guides and small group tours.

Hotel Reviews
Casa Montani Hotel
Rome

The hotel was very nice and secure. Comfortable accommodations and had space to hang up clothes . It was located a bit far from some of our destinations but was definitely a walkable route to them. The light breakfast provided was delicious and was at our door within 5 minutes after requesting it. However, we got bored with having the same each day. Would have been nice to be able to substitute an item or two. Was only provided with a menu on the first day.

Authenticity & Character
Charming and authentic to the area
Location
Close to restaurants and shopping
Staff
The introduction we received on check in was helpful. The breakfast staff was very quick
Cleanliness & Comfort
Imperial Hotel Tramontano
Sorrento

This hotel is beautiful inside and out. There are lush gardens out front to enjoy day and night with seating, pool with food/beverage service. We enjoyed an amazing buffet breakfast daily, and evening cocktails, all with an amazing sea view at the hotel restaurant. Our room was beyond expectations; a two level accommodation with a gorgeous view of the sea from both floors. We opened the large window to let in the warm sun and light breeze. Plenty of wardrobe and drawer space for our clothes.

Authenticity & Character
Hotel was elegant and was well maintained.
Location
This hotel was centrally located and had access to many sites, shops and restaurants.
Staff
All staff we encountered were friendly and helpful with any questions we had. We also had our clothes laundered and they came back professionally clean and smelled amazing! Kudos to the porters, front desk staff, cleaning staff and wait staff that made our stay extra special.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The entire hotel was extremely clean.
Hotel Orto De' Medici
Florence

Great hotel located near city center. Walkable to many sites and restaurants. Beautiful architecture. Great breakfast buffet. Room was very small and not much wardrobe space to hang or unpack clothes. Beds were extremely firm which I like, but was not my husband's favorite. We arrived on a Friday night and was given a complimentary beverage at the bar. Was disappointed to find out that the bar was closing for the season that evening. The only other negative comment is we requested laundry service and due to the holiday the hotel staff said there would be none during our stay.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Near city center
Staff
Everyone was friendly and were given a great recommendation for dinner.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal
Venice

We had a wonderful room that had a Canal view. Even though it wasn't a grand Canal view it was still extremely nice view. Delicious breakfast buffet and the scrambled eggs were outstanding! The Staff is friendly and made sure we had what we needed. We had to leave very early on our last day due to flight arrangements and the staff provided us with two breakfast bags full of breakfast goodies that we were able to eat most of throughout our flight home.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Very close to all shops and restaurants. We could walk anywhere from this location.
Staff
Very friendly and made sure we had everything needed.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Our room was very clean each day!
Activity Reviews
Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum
Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum
Rome

Our guide was not only knowledgeable, but he had a sense of humor and a great personality.! (I wish I could remember his name.) Although the tour was lengthy, it was not overwhelming or boring. He gave us plenty of time to take photos and tour a little bit on our own.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Crypts, Bones & Catacombs: An Underground Tour of Rome
Crypts, Bones & Catacombs: An Underground Tour of Rome
Rome

We learned quite a bit about The Roman catacombs and the history behind it. Enjoyed our guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Nice drive thru Appian Way and past Circus Maximus.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart
Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart
Rome

This was a perfect day for a golf cart tour because it was raining. Our driver/guide was great! We had lots of laughs. He was knowledgeable on all the sites he showed us. He even gave us a surprise visit to the Pantheon which we really appreciated!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Pizza School at Agriturismo
Pizza School at Agriturismo
Italy

A must do when in Italy. Enjoyed meeting the family who owns the farm. It was a fun, delicious and authentic experience!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour
Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour
Rome

Thankfully we had skip the line tickets and tour guide. Guide was very knowledgeable and was helpful when visiting this site. So much to see and was a bit overwhelmed with so much to look at.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Storywalking Experience in Castelli Romani
Storywalking Experience in Castelli Romani
Italy

Our contadina breakfast at Ornesto's vineyard turned out to be a very special experience. He not only shared his vineyard, food and wine but also his life. The views were beautiful and food and wine were outstanding. We walked the vineyard and got an in depth tour/understanding of farming/wine making. We made a life long friend. We didn't want to leave and actually stayed longer than our schedule called for.

Quality of Experience
Food
Everything was homemade, delicious and plentiful.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Ornesto makes sure you enjoy your visit
Transport
Our driver was patient with us, as we extended our time there, which cut into our next destination which was a self guided tour.
Naples to the Amalfi Coast or Amalfi Coast to Naples - Pompeii en Route
Naples to the Amalfi Coast or Amalfi Coast to Naples - Pompeii en Route
Italy

Our train arrived late but arrangements were made to have our driver remain with us and tour was not shortened. Cool place to learn about Pompeii history and to view Mt. Vesuvius.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
St Mark's and Doge's Palace Tour | Semi-Private
St Mark's and Doge's Palace Tour | Semi-Private
Venice

We were tapped out of tours and historic sites by this point. St. Mark's church is beautiful and the square definitely has a lot of history. Tour guide knew her history and provided many details.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll
Private Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll
Venice

We were looking forward to the gondola ride but was disappointed. Our gondola driver wasn't dressed in authentic attire. He was wearing plain street clothes. Assumed he would speak about points of interest but that didn't happen. He was nice to us and maneuvered the gondola safely. Tour was supposed be 30 minutes but ours over in 20 minutes.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Storywalking Experience: Full Day Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Limoncello Tour & Tasting
Storywalking Experience: Full Day Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Limoncello Tour & Tasting
Italy

The Amalfi coast, Positano and Ravello are gorgeous and breathtaking. Nature's perfect gift. We had a tour with Chef from La Bonita del Capo. Gave us a tour of his lemon, orange and fruit trees/vines. Made limoncello in a small group with tasting. Had a full lunch with all courses. Delicious!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Giotto Tower, Dome & Piazza del Duomo Monuments - Only Tickets
Giotto Tower, Dome & Piazza del Duomo Monuments - Only Tickets
Florence

Wow.. incredible architecture. Loved the walk up the 440 steps to the incredible view. Only negative is once we got inside church, the staff didn't allow us to stop to view the church and were a bit rude about it. It wasn't busy so not sure why I couldn't stand there for one minute to look at the beautiful inside of the church. They hurried us outside.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
See comments above. This was a self guided tour.
Florence Art Tour: Uffizi & Accademia
Florence Art Tour: Uffizi & Accademia
Florence

Learned a lot about the history of Florence and the periods of art history. The highlight was seeing the statue of David..., a gorgeous piece of art.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide was very knowledgeable and can tell she loves the arts!
Transport
Best of Tuscany tour: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa from Florence
Best of Tuscany tour: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa from Florence
Florence

This was an all day tour. Saw beautiful countryside driving to Siena and Tuscany. Enjoyed walking through the streets in Siena and learned more about their history. Wish we had more time in San Gimignano, it's absolutely beautiful there. Touring a family vineyard was awesome and the lunch served was delicious as well as the wine. Had to ship some wine back home! Pisa was a nice ending to the day.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our driver was our guide. She was awesome and gave us a ton of information about these regions!!
Transport
Rome Street Food Tour
Rome Street Food Tour
Rome

If you are a foodie or not, highly recommend a food tour. It was fun walking through different neighborhoods to learn about their specialties Started at a bakery and had sampling of baked goods, then onto another to have sweet and savory Marizotto, enjoyed Supli, pasta , wine and lastly stopped at a gelato shop. We even went to a local butcher/market and sampled a variety of meats and cheese. Everything was delicious but it was a lot of food for me in a few hours. My husband enjoyed what I could not!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
She was wonderful and very friendly. We felt like we made a new friend!!
Transport
We walked to our destination. But it was a wonderful walk to the meeting point for the tour.
Exclusive Capri Boat Tour by Sorrento
Exclusive Capri Boat Tour by Sorrento
Italy

This was an amazing and unforgettable tour and day! Breathtaking scenery and awesome tour guides. We got to take canoe into the Blue grotto. Took a chairlift ride to the top of AnaCapri with more breathtaking views of the other grottos, rocks and lighthouse. Boat tour gave us close up views of all and we even saw a waterfall!!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our boat guides deserve 10 stars!! They ensured we saw all the sights that make this coast so beautiful. Great personalities and fun people. Would repeat this tour.
Transport
It was a short drive from our hotel, which was a nice change.
Local specialist: Arianna Zampieri
Arianna
Arianna Zampieri
Local specialist in Italy | Replied on Nov 14, 2024

Dear Shirley,
thanks so much for your detailed review.
I am very happy that you appreciated the tailor-made trip to Italy we created for your group. We always conduct in-person inspections to meet our guides, drivers, and all our partners to accurately select and offer the best local services possible.
Thank you again and until the next Italian adventure!
Ciao from the Storywalking team

Sensational !!
Italy | Oct 23 - Nov 1, 2024

Peter
Peter H.
Australia | Reviewed on Nov 10, 2024
The organisation, transfers and guides, accommodation, quality of the activities and everything about the trip was just sensation!.. would highly recommend ! Read more

The organisation, transfers and guides, accommodation, quality of the activities and everything about the trip was just sensation!.. would highly recommend !

Hotel Review
Hotel Continental
Sorrento

Fantastic facility, Amazing staff, centrally located and great views across the bay to Mt Vesuvius!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR IN A SMALL GROUP
AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR IN A SMALL GROUP
Sorrento
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emi Carletti

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy....
Italy | Oct 17 - Oct 24, 2024

Suzanne
Suzanne H.
Conyers, GA | Reviewed on Nov 07, 2024
We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy. Melanie did a great job planning a “Comfortable Trip” for my mom. My mom can walk but not long distances so we needed an electric wheelchair for this trip. Melanie was able to find one for us to rent and had it waiting for us at the hotel. After talking w/ friends from the USA and reading reviews online, I was led to believe that Italy was not a wheelchair friendly place and we were going to have difficulty using it. Fortunately that was... Read more

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy. Melanie did a great job planning a “Comfortable Trip” for my mom. My mom can walk but not long distances so we needed an electric wheelchair for this trip. Melanie was able to find one for us to rent and had it waiting for us at the hotel. After talking w/ friends from the USA and reading reviews online, I was led to believe that Italy was not a wheelchair friendly place and we were going to have difficulty using it. Fortunately that was not the case. Yes, there were some narrow streets and steep hills but we were able to work around the obstacles and my mom did not have to miss out on any of our Italy experiences. Very happy that Melanie listened to our requests and planned the trip accordingly. She was also very accessible on what’s app during the trip and checked in with us regularly. Highly recommend her company. The only negative was that I had to postpone the trip a year and the price ended up increasing by about $1k a person. Not sure if that was because of inflation or because there was originally going to be 5 of us and it only ended up being 4.

Activity Reviews
Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour and Village of Siena
Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour and Village of Siena
Italy

Food and wine were great - the gnocchi was AMAZING! Family was very friendly. The only negative is that if u place an order it takes about 30 days to receive it which is fine because they tell you that upfront. However, I live in Atlanta and was having the wine shipped to San Diego for a party that I am attending Nov 9. The some said that he would ship the Monday after our tour. Unfortunately, totally dropped the ball on this and as of Nov 4th the order still hasn’t shipped. Had I know. That they weren’t going to follow through, then I would have just had it sent to Atlanta. I spent a lot of money on wine, olive oil, and vinegar that I won’t be able to enjoy.

Quality of Experience
Wish a tour of the vineyard was part of the experience. Maybe it wasn’t because the grapes had already been picked for the season??
Food
Gnocchi and tomato’s were so yummy!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Rey friendly but son didn’t follow through on shipping my order in a timely manner
Transport
The driver was very friendly
Pizza Cooking Class in Sorrento
Pizza Cooking Class in Sorrento
Sorrento

So much fun. The chef was so funny. We really had a great time and the pizza was yummy. We met another group from the US on this experience. When we left, someone from the group forgot something at the restaurant and the chef chased us down on his motorcycle to return it to him.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Capri and the Amalfi coast boat tour with the Blu Grotto
Capri and the Amalfi coast boat tour with the Blu Grotto
Italy

Really fun day. The driver was very friendly.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Explore Pompeii Walking Tour
Explore Pompeii Walking Tour
Italy

Loved Pompeii. Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was very interesting hearing the history of the city.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Andrew was very knowledgeable and nice. He made the tour interesting. Only thing is that he often walked far ahead of us and was on his phone a lot. There was one time when he took my mom by elevator and we took the stairs and met him. He said do t worry, I will stay with her. When we met up with them he was walking far ahead of her.
Transport
Driver was nice but not a very good driver. His van was a lot older than the other vans we had taken. He drove fast and passed other cars in traffic. This was the only day that my niece got car sick during any of our tours.
Local specialist: Melanie Rapuano
Melanie
Melanie Rapuano
Local specialist in Italy | Replied on Nov 07, 2024
Hi Suzanne, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I'm so pleased your mum and you all had a lovely time and that a few extra touches helped make it a comfortable trip for you all.
As you know I'm trying to get an answer regarding the wine, fingers crossed you will get to enjoy the wine after all.
Thank you for commenting on the experiences, guides and drivers, I will definitely look into the car for you, as you noticed from the past days, we always use the best cars so... Read more

Hi Suzanne,

thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. I'm so pleased your mum and you all had a lovely time and that a few extra touches helped make it a comfortable trip for you all.
As you know I'm trying to get an answer regarding the wine, fingers crossed you will get to enjoy the wine after all.

Thank you for commenting on the experiences, guides and drivers, I will definitely look into the car for you, as you noticed from the past days, we always use the best cars so I'll see what happened there.

I'm really pleased we were able to arrange Pompeii too, not the best place for wheelchair access and I know the disabled route is not as enjoyable but the guide informed me he was able to skip the lines a few times and extended the tour a little to allow you to see a little more too!

Indeed the higher price was due to having to split everything by 4 and not 5, and to make it more comfortable we also decided to make some changes like arrange private transfer from Florence to Sorrento, wheelchairs to be delivered and some other little tweaks which were not arranged last year.

Thanks again for booking and I'm so pleased I was able to help you all make special Italian memories! I look forward to your next trip to Italy!

Take care,
Melanie

This trip was a dream of a lifetime. It was m...
Italy | Oct 27 - Nov 4, 2024

Michael
Michael L.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Nov 05, 2024
This trip was a dream of a lifetime. It was my first trip to Italy . Our friends recommended KimKim so we contacted your company. Best move we could have done here ! Andrea was attentive and detail oriented and always answered whatever questions we had . The trip was perfect. Rome, Florence , Venice and Milan. The individual guides were a huge benefit . It was a custom tour and they could not have been better. We were very impressed. We will back and plan on using you often in the future ! Read more

This trip was a dream of a lifetime. It was my first trip to Italy . Our friends recommended KimKim so we contacted your company. Best move we could have done here ! Andrea was attentive and detail oriented and always answered whatever questions we had . The trip was perfect. Rome, Florence , Venice and Milan. The individual guides were a huge benefit . It was a custom tour and they could not have been better. We were very impressed. We will back and plan on using you often in the future !

Hotel Review
Sina Palazzo Sant'Angelo
Venice

Classy well appointed and nice accommodations close to everything . The only thing I didn’t like was the shower. An old bath tub jacuzzi set up that you had to step high to get into. Not a good barrier for water spraying out either. Many Americans don’t bathe we shower. Otherwise great in location , views, hospitality service.

Authenticity & Character
Right on the canal
Location
Gorgeous views.
Staff
Very nice and accommodating
Cleanliness & Comfort
The way we expected
Activity Reviews
Rome Private Guided Walk
Rome Private Guided Walk
Rome

First we were so lucky to have great weather. sunny and temps in the 70s everyday. You can’t plan that. I am a history buff and I love Ancient Rome . Our guide Mariapaola was amazing. Every sight was a wonderful journey into the past . She was so informative and interesting . I can’t imagine anyone nicer or better to have as a tour guide

Quality of Experience
The personal private guided tour
Guides, Drivers and Staff
On time and ready to help
Transport
On time and ready to help. Very nice
Colosseum and Roman Forum - Private guide
Colosseum and Roman Forum - Private guide
Rome

My favorite of the trip. This is right in my wheelhouse. I love ancient Roman history and this typifies it for me. Mariapaola is a superb tour guide. Love touring and viewing the forum and colosseum . It’s the best

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Andrea Gambino
Andrea
Andrea Gambino
Local specialist in Turin, Italy | Replied on Nov 05, 2024

Thank you very much Michael for your great review. It was a pleasure working with you.
We'll be glad to assist you any time you want to travel.

We had an excellent 10 days in Rome and Sorre...
Italy | Oct 23 - Nov 1, 2024

Steven
Steven F.
Australia | Reviewed on Nov 02, 2024
We had an excellent 10 days in Rome and Sorrento. Everything worked well with great transfers, good hotels and excursions. The excursions we went on were all good but in hindsight private tours in Rome would have been better for us. Rome is extremely busy and in groups of 12 plus it’s often hard to hear the guide. The accommodation was as described, clean and of a good standard. Sorrento was an excellent base to explore the Amalfi coast and Pompeii. Read more

We had an excellent 10 days in Rome and Sorrento. Everything worked well with great transfers, good hotels and excursions. The excursions we went on were all good but in hindsight private tours in Rome would have been better for us. Rome is extremely busy and in groups of 12 plus it’s often hard to hear the guide. The accommodation was as described, clean and of a good standard. Sorrento was an excellent base to explore the Amalfi coast and Pompeii.

Hotel Reviews
Royal Suite Trinita dei Monti
Rome

The hotel is in a great location on the Spanish Steps. Drinks in the courtyard at sunset was fantastic. However it is hard to access with luggage via a tiny elevator. The rooms whilst very nice were all quite different eg: our room had an extremely small bathroom but a big bedroom. The hotel only has eight rooms and is one floor is a residential building.

Authenticity & Character
Bathroom in unit 27
Location
Proximity to many attractions and Metro
Staff
Very helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Continental
Sorrento

Great location close to the old town and the beach/port area. Rooms were spacious, clean, and staff were very helpful. Very quiet of a night to sleeping was easy.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Room Mate Filippo
Rome

An excellent B&B in the Barberini area. Modern, clean comfortable rooms. Staff were very caring and helpful.

Authenticity & Character
Modern, clean, quiet and well located.
Location
Close to plenty of attractions and the Metro.
Staff
My partner injured her knee travelling to Rome and the staff were very caring and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The place was spotless.
Activity Reviews
Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome

The tour was too big and it was hard to hear the guide. Going to the Coliseum at 11 was too late on the day as the coliseum gets very crowded. We visited the Forum and Palatine Hill before and this could have been done first

Quality of Experience
Smaller groups
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Better audio systems.
Vatican & Sistine Chapel - Small Group Tour
Vatican & Sistine Chapel - Small Group Tour
Rome

The guide was knowledgeable and spoke well. We only passed by the art in the Vatican Museum with little time to appreciate it. We did not see the Raphael room or the Caravaggio’s. It felt like the Vatican Museum was the conveyor belt to the Sistine Chapel. The crush in the Sistine Chapel was awful. The tour of St Peters was good. Having been to Rome previously and seen the Museum etc, I know how good the experience can be. Too many people in small spaces.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Better audio
Pompeii  Excavations half-day Tour
Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour
Italy

Great guide and transport. The guide wasvery knowledgeable and funny. we arrived as the gates opened, so we beat the crowds. Pompeii was an amazing experience and 1/2 say was plenty of time to see the key things.

Quality of Experience
Knowledge of the guide
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Very friendly and knowledgeable
Transport
Great driver on very narrow roads
AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR IN A SMALL GROUP
AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR IN A SMALL GROUP
Sorrento

What a wonderful way to see the Amalfi coast and the towns of Positano and Amalfi. The boat was excellent for 10-12 people. The time we had in both Amalfi and Positano was enough to get a taste of both places. We every had a couple of beers/wines on the trip and this was much appreciated. However a hotel pickup would have been appreciated as we had a 20 minute walk to from the pick up point.

Quality of Experience
The boat, the driver, the guide and the hospitality.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
They loved their jobs.
Transport
Capri self guided day-trip with hydrofoil tickets
Capri self guided day-trip with hydrofoil tickets
Sorrento

At best it’s a fast ferry not a hydrofoil. The trip to Capri was fine but timing of the return trip changed without notice. At one stage we were wondering how we would get home. In the end we got a later ferry. While Capri is nice, it’s very expensive to eat and drink. The Blue Grotto closed in the early afternoon allegedly due to high tide but we suspect it closed due to lack of people.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day at leisure in Sorrento
Day at leisure in Sorrento
Sorrento

We organised a cooking class and we had a wonderful day.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emi Carletti

Southern Italy in 15 Days
Italy | Oct 15 - Nov 1, 2024

Bernadette
Bernadette A.
Hong Kong SAR China | Reviewed on Nov 02, 2024
The pace was just right! The tour guides all excellent for pier private service tours and in the end the Mikos of Mt Etna and Catania, Elise for the shared tours where phenomenal in understanding and appreciating all that we see. Private pick up service, on time and excellent and helpful to see the sights. I’m so happy to have chosen Kimkim. Read more

The pace was just right! The tour guides all excellent for pier private service tours and in the end the Mikos of Mt Etna and Catania, Elise for the shared tours where phenomenal in understanding and appreciating all that we see. Private pick up service, on time and excellent and helpful to see the sights. I’m so happy to have chosen Kimkim.

Hotel Review
Hotel Politeama
Palermo

Motel rather than hotel

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Eirini Daouka
Eirini
Eirini Daouka
Local specialist in Greece | Replied on Nov 05, 2024

Dear Bernadette, Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! Ensuring a smooth, stress-free journey is our top priority, so it’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed our drivers and expert local guides. We take great pride in working with such a dedicated team and will be sure to pass along your kind words to them.

We’d be delighted to assist with any future travels you have to Italy! Until then, arrivederci from the entire Storywalking team!

USE ROAD SCHOLAR NOT KIMKIM
Italy | Oct 15 - Oct 25, 2024

Dennis
Dennis P.
Newark, NJ | Reviewed on Nov 01, 2024
Starting on April 30th Giulia of Liberty Travel of Liberty Travel in Padua was wonderful adjusting our travel wishes repeatedly as she helped us customize our Italian vacation. It was all set during the first week of August. Then after August 9, when we had paid the balance of our trip, the first problem started. Problem #1- Internet Glitch: KimKim trip chat notifications <[email protected]> stopped. The trip chat messages from Giulia appeared to us to simply stop. We assumed that... Read more

Starting on April 30th Giulia of Liberty Travel of Liberty Travel in Padua was wonderful adjusting our travel wishes repeatedly as she helped us customize our Italian vacation. It was all set during the first week of August. Then after August 9, when we had paid the balance of our trip, the first problem started.

Problem #1- Internet Glitch: KimKim trip chat notifications stopped. The trip chat messages from Giulia appeared to us to simply stop. We assumed that meant there were no issues to discuss. In fact KimKim just suddenly and unexpectedly stopped sending us her many trip chat comments. Up to then we had always answered her within a day. We don’t knowwhy she didn’t think there might have been a notification problem.

Problem #2- A scheduled tour 'DaVinci' was canceled by the tour operator.. Unbeknownst to us Giulia asked via the non-functional notification system for a replacement tour. Getting no response she signed us up for a tour we had previously told her we did not want. I became suspicious at the apparent silence from Giulia and logged into kimkim chat and discovered the lack of notifications (from then on I logged in daily to the kimkim trip chat because I did not trust the performance).
When we reminded her that we did not want the Chianti tour she promised a refund which was done.

Problem #3- Our driver for our Siena/San Gimignano tour failed to arrive. The tour operator told us over the phone that she had no replacement drivers available to us. It was agreed with the Liberty Travel agent that we would receive a refund for the failed all-day tour. We made alternate plans. An hour later around 10AM a woman called and identified herself as the manager of Liberty Travel saying she had a driver who would be available in maybe an hour or hour and a half... to begin the ‘all-day” tour. We didn't believe her over the tour operator we just talked with and we wondered how she could still call it an all-day tour when it would not depart for Siena until 11-11:30 AM (instead of 8:30 AM). We had to hang up on her because she would not stop repeating the unaccepted offer and in the end tried to say we were choosing not to take the tour and implied at first we would not qualify for a refund.

While we received refunds for the two cancelled tours and enjoyed the tours that weren’t canceled we will not use KimKim or recommend it to other travelers. Between the KimKim communication issues before the trip and the tendency of the Liberty Travel agents to be defensive we would rather use a service that supplies small-group tours with a dedicated, onboard travel guide, e.g., Road Scholar, where problems are more quickly seen, anticipated and resolved.

Local specialist: Giulia Bonati

We had an absolutely wonderful time on our PR...
Italy | Oct 13 - Oct 21, 2024

David
David P.
Ashburn, VA | Reviewed on Oct 31, 2024
We had an absolutely wonderful time on our PRIVATE trip to Italy. We were a group of 4 senior citizens.
Our drivers we always on time and our personal guides were actually outstanding. They accommodated us at our own gentle and non-hectic pace. When we requested breaks to rest, our guides we are accommodating. All our guides recommended and actually led us to noncommercial local restaurants and stores. We were really embedded in the Italian culture. Our local specialist Rita kept in touch...
Read more

We had an absolutely wonderful time on our PRIVATE trip to Italy. We were a group of 4 senior citizens.
Our drivers we always on time and our personal guides were actually outstanding. They accommodated us at our own gentle and non-hectic pace. When we requested breaks to rest, our guides we are accommodating. All our guides recommended and actually led us to noncommercial local restaurants and stores. We were really embedded in the Italian culture. Our local specialist Rita kept in touch with us every day and sometimes 2x a day. She made so many arrangements & cancellations for us we are so happy we did not make her quit. LOL Now I am not going to mention the names of our guides and drivers for selfish reasons bec I want them all to ourselves for our next trip to explore the northern tour of Italy next year:):)

THANK YOU KIM KIM YOU ARE THE BEST
I am, David Pagnotti Old Forge, Pa

Hotel Reviews
Hotel Monte Cenci
Rome

An excellent location and this hotel was spotless clean & extremely comfortable. The rooms and lobby had air condition. The porters couldn't do enough for us. And everyone spoke excellent English. The staff was well dress and the had a security guard in the lobby all day but i don't know why bec the location was great. It's in the bst part of town! In any event yes, I would definitely stay there again. This was our 3rd trip Rome Italy

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
The female at the desk with red hair & the porter & really to be fair and honest everyone really was extremely nice and polite. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart
Cleanliness & Comfort
Actually we had a brand-new room. Cant beat that!!!
Hotel Lorelei Londres
Sorrento

First of all, this is a 5-star hotel and the whole staff was extremely Solicitous to us senior citizens .The restaurant won many Michlin awards. All air condition and super clean rooms & clean bathrooms through ought. They offer WHITE hand towels not paper ones.

Authenticity & Character
Since there are virtually no woods in Sorento this hotel is all marble and cut stone. We don't have this in America, So this gives it character. Also there is a lot of art on the walls
Location
The location was stupendous!! The whole hotel has extra-large glass windows and glass door all overlooking the mediterranean sea. And at Nite you can see all the yachts anchored in the harbor.
Staff
The staff was absolutely perfect. They bent over backwards for us. The front desk answered with 1 ring of our phone call of things we need like was cloth's. The called for transportation in our behalf without delay. When the kitchen was closed & we had to leave at 5am in the morning they packed us breakfast and lunches to go. The dining room staff served us with white glove and the tables had white tablecloths.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Are room was large with lots of windows and everything was colored white especially the white tiles on the floor. I mention this bec dirt can't hide on white everything has to be clean or guest will notice dirtiness.
Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco
Florence

First of all, this hotel is located in excellent section of Florence and with walking distance for just about all important sites. AND restaurants too! It's a converted church/rectory to a hotel which is very typical of most hotels in this particular area of Florence. But it also means the rooms and hallways are very large. The public spaces and rooms actually have air conditioning. The hotel rates are sensible too. not overpriced.

Authenticity & Character
Location
The location is everything and this hotel is right on spot! Its in the middle of everything and that's why we choose to stay here. Close to important sights and restaurants.
Staff
The staff treat us like gold!! Extremely accommodating especially at breakfast. They were ready for us early each morning. The front desk helped us with directions and transportation. They were very polite too.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The actual bed size was nice and wide just like the room itself was large and wide & I also checked the accommodations of other people's accommodations that we were with & and their rooms we the same as ours. Large and spacious
Activity Review
Guided Visit of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
Guided Visit of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
Rome

We had an excellent tour guide & we got to cut the entrance line bec she pre purchased our entrance tickets ahead of time. Between the colosseum & forum and lunch we spent at least 5 hours in this area. It was fantastic:)

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Rita Pagano
Rita
Rita Pagano
Local specialist in Madrid | Replied on Nov 04, 2024

Dear David, thank you so much for your wonderful review! I’m thrilled to hear that your trip was everything you hoped for and that you enjoyed the authentic, relaxed pace. It was truly a pleasure working with you and I’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to our team!! Looking forward to helping you explore northern Italy next year, can’t wait to plan more memorable moments together! 🥰

Warmest regards,
Rita

Beautiful Italy!
Italy | Sep 26 - Oct 9, 2024

L
Laurayne B.
Los Angeles, CA | Reviewed on Oct 28, 2024
My sister and I had a wonderful trip to Italy! Every arrival/departure was met on time and with very attentive drivers, the cars were all beautiful and clean, and we were also treated to bottles of water and even candies with each trip.
The trains ran beautifully - on time every time!
All of our guides were knowledgeable and very professional. They were well versed in the locations and engaging in their presentations, providing much historical information and details that we would...
Read more

My sister and I had a wonderful trip to Italy! Every arrival/departure was met on time and with very attentive drivers, the cars were all beautiful and clean, and we were also treated to bottles of water and even candies with each trip.
The trains ran beautifully - on time every time!
All of our guides were knowledgeable and very professional. They were well versed in the locations and engaging in their presentations, providing much historical information and details that we would otherwise have missed. They clearly demonstrated a love of their work and their country.
All of the accommodations were lovely and the staffs were very friendly and helpful. My only suggestion would be for the Venice location - we were on the ground floor and although we were quite comfortable, there was a musty odor due to the proximity to water levels. In the future, I would request an upper floor room, even if there is a higher room rate. Venice was beautiful and we also visited Murano & Burano. Lots of walking and LOTS of steps! What a workout :)
Bologna was definitely the highlight for food! Best lasagna in the world! It was nice to be in a city that didn't feel so crowded. We even got to see the President of Italy who visited and gave a talk the day we were there.
Florence was the jewel city that I'd heard so much about - it certainly did not disappoint! So much to see and experience in such a short time! The silk factory tour was fascinating and our guide was great! We enjoyed our visit to the vineyard/farm but it would have been better had we been able to arrive earlier in the day so that we could really appreciate it. We arrived after dark so there was no opportunity to see the actual vineyards. Perhaps taking into account the season with earlier sunset times would help. I'm happy to say that the wine I ordered from them arrived yesterday, YUM!!
Milan was also a fascinating city. We attended the opera and La Scala was very beautiful. We wished that our seats had either been on the main floor or in the front row of our box. We didn't have chairs, but rather stools, and it was difficult to view the stage.
We fell in love with Stresa! The hotel and staff were wonderful! The town was everything we had hoped for in our visit to Italy. The driving experience was
Overall, our trip was wonderful and I thank Eirini for all of the planning and arrangements. She was wonderful to work with! I have already recommended kimkim to several friends and those who have asked how we were able to arrange such a great experience. I will certainly use your company for future travels. Thank you so much!!

Hotel Reviews
Ca' San Giorgio
Venice

The stay at Ca' San Giorgio in Venice was charming overall. Our room was on a lower floor, and it had a musty smell due to its proximity to the water, which was understandable given Venice's nature. Had we known, we would have requested a higher floor. Other than that, the room itself was great.

Art Hotel Commercianti
Bologna

Our stay at Art Hotel Commercianti in Bologna was delightful. The room was beautiful, and the staff were very friendly. Bologna offered some of the best food I've ever had. Despite being a city, it felt less crowded than others, which made the stay more enjoyable.

Activity Reviews
Visit a Silk Factory in Florence
Visit a Silk Factory in Florence
Florence

Visiting a silk factory in Florence was an incredibly fascinating and unique experience. It felt off the beaten path, and with just my sister and I, it provided us a personal and memorable tour.

Best of Milan City Tour with Last Supper Tour & Duomo
Best of Milan City Tour with Last Supper Tour & Duomo
Milan

Seeing the Last Supper in Milan was simply breathtaking. It was one of the highlights of the trip, an unforgettable experience.

Half day tour: Isola Bella and Fishermen's Island with a tour guide
Half day tour: Isola Bella and Fishermen's Island with a tour guide
Italy

The half-day tour of Isola Bella and Fishermen's Island was lovely. The guide we had made the experience rich with history and personal interaction, making it stand out as a memorable part of the trip.

Local specialist: Eirini Daouka
Eirini
Eirini Daouka
Local specialist in Greece | Replied on Oct 29, 2024
Deat Laurayne,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled to hear that we were able to create a smooth and memorable experience for you in Italy. We take great care in selecting our collaborators, and it truly means a lot to know that our drivers, guides, and hotel staff made a positive impression with their kindness and passion. We’re proud of our team, and I’ll be sure to pass along your message to them.
It was a pleasure planning this trip with you, and I look forward to... Read more

Deat Laurayne,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled to hear that we were able to create a smooth and memorable experience for you in Italy. We take great care in selecting our collaborators, and it truly means a lot to know that our drivers, guides, and hotel staff made a positive impression with their kindness and passion. We’re proud of our team, and I’ll be sure to pass along your message to them.

It was a pleasure planning this trip with you, and I look forward to welcoming you back to Italy in the future—whenever you’re ready to discover more!

Arrivederci, on behalf of the whole Storywalking team!

Our trip was everything we hoped it would be!..
Italy | Oct 16 - Oct 25, 2024

Kelly
Kelly O.
Atlanta, GA | Reviewed on Oct 28, 2024
Our trip was everything we hoped it would be! The logistics were perfectly coordinated, train times, drivers, etc.. it was a lot of moving around but you made it as easy as possible. Every tour guide was amazing, so attentive and friendly. We especially loved the olive oil tasting and the cooking class. Both far exceeded our expectations. The optional stops while driving were also super helpful, we loved Alberobello!
The Masseria Santo Scalone was by far our favorite hotel and all of the...
Read more

Our trip was everything we hoped it would be! The logistics were perfectly coordinated, train times, drivers, etc.. it was a lot of moving around but you made it as easy as possible. Every tour guide was amazing, so attentive and friendly. We especially loved the olive oil tasting and the cooking class. Both far exceeded our expectations. The optional stops while driving were also super helpful, we loved Alberobello!
The Masseria Santo Scalone was by far our favorite hotel and all of the staff at every location was helpful.
The only hotel that we didn't love was the Palazzo Calo in Bari.

Thank you so much for all of the patience and help planning!

Activity Reviews
Olive Oil Tasting in a Local Masseria
Olive Oil Tasting in a Local Masseria
Italy
Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo
Guided Visit of Florence Including David and Duomo
Florence
Local Market Visit & Private Cooking Class in Lecce
Local Market Visit & Private Cooking Class in Lecce
Italy
Private Walking Experience in Otranto & Trekking at the Bauxite Caves
Private Walking Experience in Otranto & Trekking at the Bauxite Caves
Italy
Local specialist: Giorgia Torre