Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

After being married during the pandemic, I was not eager to plan a honeymoon trip after re-planning our wedding 3 times. This led to us procrastinating this trip until I worked with Fabio. From beginning to end, Fabio was incredible and I say this as a very Type A planner who would typically take on all the research and planning on my own. He was in tune to our requests, budget, and feedback and promptly put together itineraries that checked every box. This led to a trip that was perfectly curated to us and beyond my expectations. Thank you Fabio!

In Venice, I loved the Ca'Nigra Lagoon Resort. It was quaint and perfectly located for our excursions. We were fond of Venice but Florence quickly stole the show. I highly recommend the day trip to Sienna that Fabio booked for us. Our private driver, Michele, was so knowledgeable and made conversation easy. He was also the best photographer for all the scenic stops along our drive. The Florence Cooking Class and Lunch at a farmhouse with the local market tour was a blast! If you're thinking a taking any cooking class while in Italy, this is the one. We probably laughed more than we cooked.

As history nerds, the tours in Rome were some of our favorites but surprisingly second to the Rome Food Tour. Our stay at Hotel Centrale was fantastic. The concierge gave us recommendations for restaurants and hidden gems in the city, which was greatly appreciated. Our last leg of the trip in Naples included a private tour of Pompeii and our guide was yet again a perfect fit for us and catered the tour to our interests.

Overall, there was not a single part of our itinerary that we would have changed. The experience was everything we dreamed about and I would trust my trip planning to kimkim again in a heartbeat.

Hotel Reviews

Ca' Nigra Lagoon Resort

Venice

The rooms are stunning, the terrace was the perfect place to relax in the evening, and the location was perfect for all our excursions. We appreciated being able to quickly catch a water taxi while also feeling like we had a quiet corner of Venice to ourselves.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Firenze Capitale

Florence

Cute place that was away from the noise of the touristy center, but still walkable to everything you could want to see.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Centrale

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hart Boutique Hotel

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tuscany Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano | Winery Included

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Michele was an incredible driver! We loved getting to spend our day with him. He took time to stop for my scenic photo request and also made a great photographer. Furthermore, he made suggestions at each stop, easy conversation for the longer portions of the driver, and overall was knowledgeable about each location.

Transport

Florence Cooking Class and Lunch at a Farmhouse in Tuscany with Local Market Tour

Florence

This class is all fun with a bonus of great food!

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything made was incredible!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bruno should have a comedy show! We laughed more than we cooked.

Transport

Rome Food Tour

Rome

This tour was foodie heaven! Make sure you show up hungry and ready to eat a variety of dishes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The walk from place to place was nice as our guide made sure to point out other hidden gems and we walked through backstreets like a true local.

Full-day Private Tour of Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius and a Local Winery

Naples

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved our trip to the Amalfi coast! Everything recommended by Valeria was better than what we expected. Our favorites were Sorrento, Boat day to Capri with a visit to the Blue Grotto, having a private driver to take us to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello , Maiori. We also enjoyed the Pompeii guided tour and Naples food tour.

Activity Reviews

Sorrento Coast & Capri Boat Tour

Italy

Best day of my trip! I loved cruising on the boat, walking around Capri and riding the single chairlift in Anacapri

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very attentive and fun

Transport

Visit of The Amalfi coast Villages Full Day

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pompei

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Naples City tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Street Food Tour in Naples

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our family had a great time! Arianna took care us through out the whole trip by making sure that our connections with our transportations and tour guides were on point during the entire trip. The tour guides were calm, patient and excited to share the site's information with us. We learned a lot. The kids want go back!
Thank you!

Overall our experience with KimKim was wonderful...though it did not start out that way.

We first were assigned Moreno, who while kind and seeming eager to assist, was not as attentive as I expected. There were numerous times where he failed to respond to my questions in a timely fashion, and one time where I asked some questions, only to not hear back in well over a week. At that point, I questioned KimKim as to whether I should receive a new local specialist. The result was that Moreno would remain with us. Once the trip was secure, we failed to hear from him. While that may be "normal", I didn't feel good about the complete lack of communication.

About 8 weeks prior to our trip however, Melanie came on the scene to "assist" Moreno. She contacted me, introducing herself and well, she was AMAZING!!! She was engaging, provided me plenty of opportunities to get excited about the trip. She communicated with me about a variety of topics regularly. She was extremely prompt with her responses, when I had questions as the trip grew closer. I felt as though she was a member of our TEAM ITALY trip!! She even told us about her favorite cake from Pansa, an Amalfi paneterria. Once she took over for Moreno, it was truly the first time I felt that KimKim deserved a 5 -Star rating....and I messaged that to Melanie via What's App.☺

Most of our guides were amazing including Ina...our Pompeii tour guide and especially Nino, our Path of Gods tour guide!!! Antonio, our driver for our Amalfi Coast tour (which was added to our trip after Melanie contacted us, sharing that the boat company had canceled their tours to Capri due to 'angry seas'), was delightful, kind, and drove those very windy roads with immaculate care and caution. He took us to some special spots along the drive to soak in the "perfect" views of the coast!!!

Our hotels were fabulous...situated in wonderful parts of their perspective cities. We definitely indulged in the fabulous food, drink and culture of the people that surrounded those hotels.

I have already shared Melanie's contact info with one couple friend of ours and plan to pass her name along to others as they ask about our journey. SHE was TOP NOTCH, always available and attentive, and truly excited for us to experience her homeland!!

Grazie mille a Melanie and KimKim for our new family memories!!

Hotel Reviews

Charme Spagna Boutique Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sorrento City Hotel

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Alabardieri Hotel Napoli

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colosseo and Roman forums adventure + Vatican museum

Rome

It was a LONG day of listening (830-4pm minus an hour for lunch) Our guide was brilliant, but she didn't seem to notice whether all of us were listening or not. I would have preferred a guide who also could meet us where we were...asking what our interests were regarding the Vatican and Colosseo, so as to have been talked WITH rather than talked TO about what we wanted to know.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting Lunch

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic trail nicknamed The Path of the Gods + Transfer from Sorrento

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nino was incredible and our surprise lunch on the trail with Antonio the local herder on the mountain was simply THE BEST!!!

Transport

Our driver back from Amalfi to Sorrento was with Mario...who also happened to drive us from Naples Airport to Rome upon arrival. He was awful. He drove incredibly fast, making all 5 of us feel nauseous. We had done the same drive the day before with Antonio (as our trip to Capri was canceled) and none of us were nauseous with that driver. I honestly prayed that we would arrive back to the hotel safely. Please do not use him again!!!

Capri in a Day

Italy

CANCELED DUE TO ANGRY SEAS.....

We planned a shorter trip to Italy in October for a November departure and were expertly handled by our specialist, Fabio. Or should I call him Fabulouso? :) Our trip was effortless, fun, interesting, and so full of some of the best of Italy in 5 short days! We had great accommodations in three wonderful hotels, transportation, tickets, and two awesome experiences - a food tasting tour in Rome and a cooking class in Sorrento. Fabio was available all the time via text or whatsapp, and was super responsive throughout this whole process. It was a little nerve wracking book all of this online, but the experience was top notch. If you want to go explore the world and looking for something other than a tour bus or cruise ship, I would highly recommend KimKim. It was conceirge level service and made the vacation just a breeze.

Thank you, Fabio!! Shelly & Chris

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Nazionale

Rome

Great hotel. Central location and QUIET for Rome. Not on a busy street at night. Loved it. Staff was awesome. Room was nice and bed comfy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

close to everything

Staff

very helpful as we arrived early in the morning from our overnight flight

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything perfect

Palazzo Marziale Boutique Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

Beautiful small hotel. We were in the Youth Room. Big comfy bed and nice bath. Sorrento is walkable and we loved this location.

Authenticity & Character

super neat place !

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Barberini Roma

Rome

Nice hotel, the room was smaller and it was noisy at night with traffic

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome Food Tour

Rome

We learned about Rome, Italy and FOOD! Armando was an awesome guide and we visited some fun locations!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of the transport staff were really nice. Prompt, Clean vehicles. Awesome

Pizza & Pasta Masterclass in Sorrento

Sorrento

Fun time in Sorrento at the most beautiful location! We made pasta, pizza and tiramisu. Great time!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Self Guided Visit to the Colosseum & Roman Forum | Skip-the-Line Tickets

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We could not have asked for a better trip planner. All of our transfer guides and our food tour guides were all very timely and professional. I would highly recommend Fabio for your next trip to Italy.

Activity Review

Pizza & Pasta Masterclass in Sorrento

Sorrento

So fun and what a beautiful view!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alessandro was the best local guide we could dream of. He was very patient with us right from the beginning to understand our desires and after numerous discussions came up with the perfect 14 day itinerary. It included the breathtaking coastline of southern Italy to the historical sites of Rome and wine country in Tuscany and Torino, all of this would not have been possible without his meticulous planning. All the car chauffeurs were were extremely courteous and informative. The hotels he booked were all very charming. Thank you Alessandro and KimKim.

We had the best time. First time traveling oversees with 6 people. 4 young adults (15-21) and 2 adults. Eirini planned a wonderful trip that was interactive and she was always quick to respond. The Skywalker app was fantastic and I was able to share the entire trip with our friends. Our tickets, instructions, and itinerary were on there. Barbara was our life saver during this journey. On one excursion, I had our family walk instead of waiting for our ride (I didn't read the entire description again and forgot), Barbara called the hotel to let them know and the tour guide so they could meet us. Another hotel, we had a room key error, she called them late at night to help us get into our rooms. She followed up on all our rides, encounters and tours. Our kids would tell me to ask Barbara and the other day asked how she was doing. Her customer service and caring attitude kept me going through the hiccups. Our guides were wonderful. Manuela, Mario, and our favorite Francesca made learning a lot of fun. We did planes, trains, and automobiles and through it all we made lots of wonderful memories, lots of lessons, and a lot of beautiful experiences that we are forever grateful for. This is the second time we used Kim Kim. There will for sure be many more times. Thank you again.

Hotel Reviews

Kraft Hotel Florence

Florence

This is such a beautiful hotel. We had such a great stay and everyone was so accommodating. The rooms were perfect for us and the breakfast was their favorites.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful and comfy beds.

Location

Close to everything and easy to get around.

Staff

Everyone was so kind and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and sheets were comfy and clean.

Rinuccini Relais Hotel

Naples

Loved staying here. It's a hidden gem in the middle of the square. We were able to walk everywhere and loved it. So much history. They were accommodating and they were able to help us get around. The rooms were nice and our Young adults (15-21) were in the rooms right next door to us.

Authenticity & Character

Love the character!

Location

The best location! You have to go through the main door/gate, then up an elevator, then get to entrance.

Staff

Absolutely Accommodating! We ran into some hiccups and they helped us through it .

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and very comfortable.

Parlamento Boutique Hotel

Rome

Love this hotel and very accommodating! It was clean and they were so helpful with us. We are grateful for them and wish we would have stayed longer.

Authenticity & Character

Lot's of character and charm.

Location

The perfect location! We were close to everything and walked to everything to eat and shop and visit some museums. 30 min walk to the colosseum.

Staff

They were very accommodating. We were exhausted and came very early. He offered us food, to leave our bags, and told us where to go. Then we left early about 5 min. before breakfast and he offered us a croissant for the road.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were great and clean. They are on the smaller side but we slept great! Our young adults (15-21) stayed in a room that fit all 4 of them. We were in another room that was perfect for us.

Activity Reviews

Naples Street Food Tour (food included)

Naples

We had the best experience and Michele was so accommodating and knowledgeable. This is one of their favorite tours and we are grateful to have met him. He made it fun for all ages and great food we would have never tried without someone guiding us. The pizza was absolutely our favorite !

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hotel was less than a block away so we met him at a starting point by hotel.

Learn how to make Pizza and Gelato

Florence

Lots of fun for the entire family. Great instructions and fun format to follow. The food, instructions, and time were perfect!

Quality of Experience

Explained everything really well. She helped when we needed help so we didn't feel left behind. There were about 12 in our group. Maybe next time have name tags so we could help learn who we were sitting next to.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We walked to location.

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo

Florence

Manuela was absolutely amazing. It was personal, we learned so much and are grateful for her and her knowledge. The kids thought it was a great way to start our time in Florence.

Quality of Experience

She took her time, asked us questions, and involved us. She's very smart and knew a lot about the areas and history. Enjoyed listening and learning!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-day excursion to Pompei and Sorrento - PRIVATE

Naples

Pompeii was amazing. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable. We would want to use him again! We learned so much and it was a great private tour. The kids enjoyed it and so did we. It was a great drive and was nice for our large family to have a someone drive us. They were knowledgeable about the areas. We stopped and took pictures on the way to Sorrento. Our driver stopped and we had a frozen lemon dessert on the side or the road with a beautiful view and sweet dog. It was nice to look around then meet up afterwards.

Private Colosseum Tour Including Roman Forum

Rome

This was an amazing tour. Francesca was fantastic and we loved being with her. She was knowledgeable, engaging, and she helped us with all of our questions including getting a taxi. All of our tours were fantastic but we all enjoyed her stories the most. We were still tired and she helped us through that as well. We truly appreciate her!

Quality of Experience

Enthusiasm for her job and able to reach all age levels

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Giulia and her KimKim Team for arranging such an amazing trip to Italy. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Venice till the time we (regretfully) departed from Naples, we were met as promised by Giulia's tour guides & drivers. They were on time, knowlegeable, and displayed the utmost professionalism. They really made this trip special! It was all I expected and more. With familial roots in this beautiful coutry, I hope to return one day, and my first call will be to Giulia. Keep up the good work!!

Hotel Reviews

HOTEL AL PONTE MOCENIGO

Beautiful room, and I loved the bath!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Berchielli

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel L'Orologio Roma

Roma

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located and easy access to all

Staff

Super friendly staff!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super comfortable room, great bathroom!

Hotel Continental

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful views from rooftop

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Meet & greet by our English-speaking assistant

Venice Airport (VCE)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany: San Gimignano & Volterra Day Trip with Food & Wine

Italy

Luciana was very vivacious, extremely knowlegable guide, great driver! This tour was one of my favorite of the trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gondola ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cicchetti and Wine tour

Venice

Very warm and friendly guide

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Group Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Walking Tour with guide

Italy

Very friendly and informative guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One Day on the Amalfi Coast with driver (Amalfi, Positano, Ravello)

Italy

Absolutely my favorite part of the trip. Our driver was kind, patient, and an excellent driver!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer by watertaxi

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hi kimkim and Italian specialists,

I would like to thank kimkim and the Italian staff.
Especially my contact Deborah, for making this four-week trip to Italy an unforgettable experience for my wife and I.
It was worth the three-year delay due to COVID19.

There were two important elements of this trip for us.
The first was to visit and enjoy the wonderful Italian art, culture and history.
Secondly, to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary through our trip to Italy.

Both of these came true and our long-held dream came true.
Above all, Deborah's communication skills and understanding of our needs were outstanding.
I would like to thank her first of all. Of course, it was good that Fabio first asked us what we wanted and then made a travel plan accordingly.
In the cities where we stayed, we were able to spend one or two days visiting the main sites and museums efficiently with a small group of people and a specialised guide arranged by local specialist.
We also had a free day to go around with our guidebook. The combination of guided and free days was also good.

The certified guides Local specialist arranged for us were excellent in their explanations and expertise.
In particular, the Japanese-speaking guide was very good and we learnt a lot.
Especially Luigia in Rome, Hiromi in Florence, Vania in Venice and Haruko in Verona and Haruko in Verona was very enthusiastic and professional.

The drivers and pick-up service were also excellent, punctual and friendly.
Beatrice, our concierge in Rome, was quick to respond and fix when we called her when we were delayed at Lake Como. Beatrice in Venice was very helpful with local information, including local restaurants.
We had been warned by friends to be careful at Italian train stations because of pickpockets, but these ladies made us feel safe and secure on the train. We had nothing to worry about. Everyday was excited and fun.

We received champagne at the hotels in Rome, Milan and Venice and drink vouchers at the hotel in Florence to celebrate our wedding. Thanks to local specialist for organising this.

All hotels had their own characteristics and good points. The hotels in Rome Milan and Venezia were well located and we were able to walk to most of the main sights.　The hotel in Asisi gave us outstanding quality, and fresh food in the restaurant. The Perugia hotel has history. The hotel in Florence was very comfortable with spacious and nice room. The staff at this hotel were the friendliest. We were also very happy with the hotels in Milan, Venezia and Ravenna with their excellent rooms.

We are very happy we chose kimkim ,local specialist as our travel agent.
Now we're hoping to visit Southern Italy and Sicily one day, and when we do, we'll use Kim Kim again.　
Thank to kimkim and all the Italian staff for our great trip to Italy.
Grazie
Takaaki and Ryoko

Visited the Amalfi Coast and Sicily in October. Deborah was a delight to work with, very quick to understand what we were looking for on our trip and super responsive to many changes along the way, even last minute ones. Hotels selected were all excellent, tours well organized and transfers always on time. We especially loved Lara's enthusiastic tour of Palermo. She clearly was proud of her Sicilian home! Small touches added in celebration of an anniversary while there made it very special.
Perhaps we could have organized some things at a lower cost, however the overall package (which we could not have duplicated without detailed prior knowledge of the regions) and stress free travel made it all worthwhile. Highly recommended.
Ian & Wendy

My husband and I used KimKim to plan our honeymoon in Italy. We had an incredible time! Everything was curated perfectly for us. Transportation was a breeze, exploring on our own was safe and easy, all of our hotels were lovely, and all of the guided activities were incredible as the guides were knowledgeable and fun. There was also a good balance between touristy activities and downtime for us to do anything else we wanted to do. Bring good shoes because there is so much to see and do within walking distance. We particularly enjoyed the tour of Vatican City, the Colosseum, and the drive through Chianti and Sienna. The food tour in Florence is also a must.

Eirini was our local specialist and made sure every part of our trip went smoothly. Thank you for making this a trip of a lifetime for us.

Superb - that was our experience with Chris and Maria Grazia of the Italy team.  Upon first reaching out to KimKim we were immediately connected to Chris.  He understood our hopes and preferences and compiled extraordinary hotel accommodations in four cities.  Along with Maria Grazia, he set up the right-fit tour guides and transportation for us.  Maria Grazia supplied daily detailed information with names and connections.  Midway through our two week Italy stay, we switched plans and Maria Grazia fully understood and reacted quickly to make other plans for us. Chris suggested an online meeting before we left our Boston home to review our specialized itinerary  which proved extremely worthwhile and allowed us to make a face-to-face connection.  Thanks to the Whatsapp application we had both Chris and Maria Graze in our pockets 24 hrs. per day.  We did have some off-hours communication that both Chris and Maria Graze accepted helpfully and graciously - they both possess a great sense of humor.  We could not more strongly recommend KimKim and the extraordinary Chris and Maria Grazia.

We enjoyed and appreciated the KimKim business model as a whole. It was nice to have local specialist help you plan the itinerary and I liked that you could book some things on your own such as hotels etc. Pricing for their service seemed a bit high but we did enjoy saving some personal planning and booking time. We covered Rome, Puglia, back up to Florence and Cinque Terre for 17 days so lots of miles. The trip went well as planned. Melanie was very responsive and a true pleasure to work with and a great attitude.

The experience organising the trip with Maria Grazia was excellent from start to finish. Beginning with the planning of the itinerary itself and going though several iterations before landing on the final version. We then had to change our dates quite late, which was taken care of very smoothly.

Each of the three hotels were excellent, really well located and met our expectations completely. The organised trips were all very good. For Palermo, we would like to mention Salvatore (Street Food Tour) and Marilu (Private Walking Tour). They were both highly knowledgable and very engaging.

In Catania the Street Food Cooking class with Paola at Tacchi e Sapori Factory was excellent. We did have some problems finding the exact location, and the "tinyurl" link was the most accurate, although we had to manually retype that into our browser to make it work.

In Taormina, the Walking Tour with Gracie was again excellent - great knowledge of the complex history of the area, and also really flexible with the tour itself.

We did make a change to the car hire by one day, which Barbara dealt with really well, the App was a great communication tool.

Hotel Reviews

B&B In Centro Palermo

Palermo

Very centrally located, modern and clean. Very friendly and helpful staff, particularly with our late check in. If using a hire car, it would be worth contacting the hotel ahead of time to get the exact address for parking and hotel access, given it's location on a pedestrian only street.

Authenticity & Character

Modern and clean, good sized rooms. Inside a very secure office block

Location

Very central

Staff

Very friendly and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palace Catania | UNA Esperienze

Catania

Very central. Great breakfast and amazing rooftop terrace with views of Mt Etna and the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful staff, particularly for organising additional tours

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Taodomus

Taormina

Very central in the town, and just a 5 minute walk from a modern and secure car park. Great rooftop terrace for breakfast and sundowner drinks. The breakfast was wonderful with a big range on offer.

Authenticity & Character

Traditional hotel from the outside, but contemporary once inside.

Location

Very central. Great views of Mt Etna and the town itself.

Staff

Very helpful and attentive throughout our stay

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Palermo Private Walking Tour

Palermo

Please see previous comments in summary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Palermo Street Food Tour

Palermo

Please see earlier comments in summary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Catania Street Food Cooking Class

Catania

Please see earlier comments in Summary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had some problems finding the location - please see earlier comments

Taormina Highlights Walking Tour

Italy

Please see earlier comments in Summary

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio did an amazing job with planning our trip to Rome, Florence, and Naples. He made everything seamless, and was available to help very quickly via chat/email. We had the most time as a family of 6, and we are forever grateful to Fabio for helping us make the best memories.

Everything went so smoothly. From the initial planning stage, we enjoyed working with Sonia and collaborating together to get the perfect month long trip to Italy. Sonia was always very responsive to my emails and had great suggestions for the flow of the trip and our accommodations. One of the highlights Sonia arranged was a private cooking class in Tuscany. Throughout our trip, we had excellent help/guides: 1) Our private concierge, Barbara, was outstanding. She met us in Milan and helped secure our rental car and then checked in with us periodically to confirm our arrangements. She was very responsive to any requests we had. 2) In Venice, we were met by (another) Barbara who helped us get to/from our hotel. It really allowed us to enjoy the whole experience. 3) We had a 4 hour private tour in Venice with Silvia and she was fabulous. She was so knowledgeable and fun to be with. 4) We had a 4 hour private tour in Florence with Simona and she, too, was fabulous. She gave us a great overall view of Florence and its history (including art) which really added to our stay.
This is the second time we have worked with KimKim (first time in Norway) and, although we are independent travelers, their expertise and attention to detail allows you to fully experience your trip without having to worry about all the details such as transfers, rental car arrangements, and tours. We highly recommend their services.

Hotel Reviews

Forestis Dolomites

Bressanone BZ

An amazing place to stay in the Dolomites. Great service, great food and the location is unbeatable.

Authenticity & Character

It was very elegant in a simple, refined way. The spa was beautiful and the swimming pool was great.

Location

The view of the Dolomites.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antica Corte Pallavicina

Polesine Parmense

A wonderful place in the countryside outside of Parma.

Authenticity & Character

A wonderfully restored castle. There were two restaurants to eat at with amazing food.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

You cannot beat the location of this hotel, right in the heart of Florence. Our room was on the smaller side but was modern, clean and comfortable. Unfortunately it rained so we couldn't enjoy the rooftop terrace. Breakfast was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Corte di Gabriela

Venice

An intimate, charming hotel in a great location in Venice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was close to everything we wanted to see, but in a side alley so it was quiet.

Staff

Wonderful breakfasts!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venice walking tour

Italy

Our guide, Silvia, was outstanding. She was so knowledgeable and fun to be with. She made all the reservations for our visit to San Marco basilica and Dogo's Palace so we skipped the lines. And she showed us some hidden treasures throughout the city. It was a great way to get to know Venice so that we could explore on our own the remaining days.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

I wouldn't say this was a highlight as it felt a little touristy. But then, when in Venice ..... it was interesting to get to see all the buildings in the canals so the sightseeing did make it a worthwhile experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We arrived early and they were able to accommodate us without us waiting.

Transport

Gondola was beautiful.

Private cooking class at Podere il Casale in Pienza (self-drive)

Italy

This was one of the highlights of our trip. The Podere il Casale is a beautiful farm in the Tuscan countryside and Sandra, one of the owners, was our cooking instructor. Her hospitality was incredible and we had so much fun together. The food was delicious and the ingredients were farm fresh. In addition to the food we prepared during the class, we tasted the cheese they make on the farm and sampled their freshly pressed olive oil along with their homemade bread. We enjoyed this great lunch while sitting on the lovely terrace overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany. It was one of the best meals of our entire trip and such a wonderful experience.

Quality of Experience

Sandra really showed us the essence of Italian country cooking.

Food

Everything!

Private transfer from Rental Car office at Florence airport to hotel

Florence

Our driver, Maurilio, showed up early so we didn't have any wait time. He was courteous, friendly and gave us information as he drove us into Florence.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private guided tour of the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries (4 hours)

Florence

Our guided tour with Simona was the best way to get introduced to Florence. She was so knowledgeable about Florence and gave us a great overview of the city's history. And her knowledge of art and art history were amazing. We could never have learned so much by ourselves as we did in 4 hours with Simona. She secured reservations to the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery so it made it a breeze to visit both. We were very impressed with Simona and the personalized guided tour that she gave us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Simona, was the best.

Overall an excellent trip.

Hotels were excellent - except for the Sheraton at Mahlpensa. The room was beat up and furniture did not match.

The Siena tour was fabulous - guide Kathleen was great.

All the wine tastings were fantastic, especially Alfieri.

We would not recommend the luncheon after the wine tasting. The truffles were tasteless and the rest of the food unremarkable.

The Hazelnut farm was somewhat interesting but the location is hard to get to.

The country roads with many sharp turns were challenging. They etracted from our experience, but the travel agent had nothing to do with that.

The rental car was excellent.

The only request we would have is more guidance on how to reach parking in the various towns.. especially when the towns are crowded.

Maria was excellent to work with - she helped us to plan an amazing 3 week honeymoon to Italy! She and the team at Storywalking were friendly, organized and easy to reach. All of our scheduled activities were fantastic and we were able to optimize our time together instead of waiting in lineups for attractions and tours. We have many special memories from our travels. Thanks again for everything!!

Activity Reviews

Naples Street Food Tour (food included)

Naples

This was excellent!! Not only was the food amazing, but our guide, Alessandro, was very knowledgeable and fun. It was a highlight of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gnocchi cooking class in the heart of Verona

Verona

Aurora and Francesca were great to work with!! They were very friendly and ensured that we had a great meal and learning experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Typical Dining Experience with Aperitivo & Cooking Demo

Rome

Roberta and her daughter were so welcoming to us and the food was amazing! We are very glad that we were able to join them in their home for this experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The entire trip was the best vacation my family has ever been on. The WhatsApp group really help us with last minute questions.

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Europa Palace

Sorrento

The hotel is in walking distance of everything. The entire staff was excellent. The view from the room was magical.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bettoja Hotel Massimo D'Azeglio

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castello di Gargonza

Arezzo

I highly suggest staying here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Liassidi Palace

VENEZIA

the view was not good from the room. Also, there was no A/C which should have been ok if the weather was different, but it was still very warm every day which made the room hot at night. We were told to open the windows, but the mosquitos were so bad that we had to sleep with the sheets over our face to prevent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day at leisure in Sorrento

Sorrento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

PRIORITY ACCESS TO DOGE'S PALACE TICKETS

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome - 2h Gladiator School

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

DISCOVER CHRISTIAN CATACOMBS AND ANCIENT BASILICAS

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

The tour guide was very knowledgably and made it the best of all of our tours

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Walking Tour

Rome

He had a great since of humor and made the tour very fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day At leisure in your castel

Arezzo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Venice Walking Tour

Venice

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR - SEMI PRIVATE (max 12)

Sorrento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport