Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Accommodations were beautiful and their breakfast was my favorite! Got spoiled! It was quite surprising to learn that 2 beds meant 2 twin beds pushed together, but that’s apparently a common thing since it happened at all 3 hotels. We managed! Also surprised that what I call a “washcloth” was not part of the towel package! Sorry for all the wet hand towels which were the smallest available! Room service was VERY helpful and punctual when we needed extra services. Was definitely pleased with accommodations and hotels!

Great location to see the city, plus just across the street from the train station

Very quiet setting near airport. Only negative was bed pillows were paper thin and should be improved

Royal Palace Turin was amazing and should be a priority

Beautiful location with excellent staff. Best winery tour I’ve ever had.

Actual winery operations is not on site

Personal attention from chef (Michael) was great.

It was raining all day, but guide was able to focus on inside options including a beautiful government building that isn’t routinely open to tourists

Rooms are small, but generally nice. There is currently construction outside the hotel making it harder to access, but will be in an even more prime location once the Metro expansion is complete. The breakfasts were good and staff friendly.

We only stayed here one night, but the room was very comfortable. The building was beautiful and right on the lake.

Ester Ghezzi was an incredible guide. Truly enjoyed our tour and the sights we were able to see. She had all the tickets we needed which made things easy. She was very knowledgable

Enjoyed the tour and tasting.

Great location, staff, and room!

Grreat location, staff, and room!

The Belvedere is beautiful with amazing views of the Tuscan hillside. We had such a relaxing stay there after a week in Florence. Breakfast was delicious - with an ingenious cappuccino maker!

This was probably the highlight in a trip of amazing experiences! We learned so much about how lambrusco, parma ham, parmigiana reggiano, and ricotta are made. We cannot overstate how delicious everything was. Just a note - instead of the pasta making class, we had lunch at the Opera winery, which was incredible, with the most beautiful views. Our guide Isadora and driver Fabia were very knowledgeable and great fun. Highly recommend!

This was fine. We really liked the staff. The breakfast was good. The location was great as we could walk everywhere. It was clean but not fancy.

This was the best place we stayed on this trip. The welcoming staff were wonderful. The hotel is lovely. Can't recommend it enough!

Lovely hotel in a super good location as well.

I liked the location in an orange grove. It looks out to Mt Etna which is nice. However it was not my favourite hotel on this trip. The countryside is lovely but the entrance to this hotel is THE most awkward I have seen in my travels to many countries. It is not welcoming. There is a very narrow gate between concrete posts and you must speak into an intercom to get the gate opened. It is on a back country road and I thought our GPS was off. The road from the gate [about a kilometer long?] is in very poor condition. There is no signage to indicate the entry to the front desk. On arrival we were told there was no room at dinner [out in the country after a long day travelling]. Then they changed their minds and we had the Michelin starred tasting menu at vast expense [ it was good enough but... there was really no other choice]. The breakfast was good. The second night we declined to eat in the restaurant as there is so little choice... . So- in my opinion, this hotel has some confusion as to what their core business actually is-- Is it a hotel? A Michelin starred restaurant? A citrus farm? A spa? I remain puzzled by this place. Maybe I am missing something...... but I wouldn't return. I also did not like that we were asked to state our arrival time and food preferences/ allergies 3 or 4 days in advance.... travel for us is spontaneous.

Emmanuel was terrific! We really liked him and the afternoon was a lot of fun. Thank you!

Enza was the Best Tour Guide Ever. If you get Enza you are really really lucky. She was v knowlegeable and made the entire Valley of the Temples come to life for us. We were not familiar with this incredible site and yet felt that we had had a crash course in the history of many cultures that have come together in this part of the world. We will never forget our afternoon with Enza. We highly recommend her! Thank you Enza!

Fattoria la Loggia was everything we hoped it would be! Most of the guests were families with children, and the atmosphere was warm and family friendly. The pool was fabulous and definitely our boys favorite. The three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen was great for our family. On our Parma and Modena days, we bought cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar on our tours; we supplemented those with some fruit and bread, and that was our dinner for two of our nights at la Loggia. As we expected, there was no air conditioning. Keeping the shutters closed during the day kept the apartment from getting too hot, and with fans we were able to sleep well. The managers also gave us a wonderfully fun and delicious cooking lesson outside with views of the vineyards. We would highly recommend staying there!

This small hotel is owner operated with a part-time front desk. The owner is available by phone, and was very helpful.

The staff at Gran Duca di York in Milan was very attentive and having a happy hour in the hotel was great for our larger group.

This hotel was interesting, with fully staffed lobby bar and roof top bar, but no patrons. The one night we went to the roof top it had a night club feel, but we were the only ones there. The breakfast was excellent.

The tour in Milan was the right tour for us because it focused on exactly what we wanted, the Duomo and La Scala. Nina (our guide) was very informative and extremely thorough and wearing the headphones allowed us to wander but still hear everything she had to say. But at 4 and a half hours it was a little too long. A little less detail and an hour shorter would have been better (especially with our teenage boys).

Our guide, Elisa, was a local teacher who gave tours in the summer. She was a very fun guide who gave us a wonderful tour! We enjoyed the mix of history and trivia she gave us.

A car waiting outside our hotel when we needed it, fantastic!

Our tour guide, Antonella, gave us the very best tour we have ever been on! She was so engaging (even to our two teenage sons). It was certainly a “Renaissance” tour. Antonella was so proud of her home city; she gave us such a complete understanding of the city and how it changed the world. She shared such a wonderful mix of historical facts mixed in with human interest, that we were captivated every moment. When we mentioned that we were reading a book about Michelangelo, she began to cater to stories and artwork that were specific to Michelangelo, complimenting what we were already learning about from the book. She was wonderful!

The couple who manages Fattoria la Loggia were engaging teachers, the setting was spectacular and the meal we made was delicious! Fresh pasta with roasted vegitables for dinner and tiramisu for desert.

This sunset walking tour was wonderful and a great way to get to know the city. Our guide, Giuseppe, helped us to get our bearings, giving us a great overview of the city and where we wanted to spend more time. He also taught us how to drink from one of the many Big Noses of Rome and gave us a great recommendation for a restaurant to eat at that evening.

This tour with Sarah Napolitani was also one of the very best tours we have ever been on! We were a few minutes early, and Sarah took us straight out, so we were one of the first into the Forum when it opened at 8 AM. She timed our route so that we avoided the massive crowds of tourists for as long as possible. But once we got to the Coliseum avoiding crowds was no longer possible…the crowds were insane! But we just followed Sarah and let the chaos go on around us. She provided a very interesting mix of history, funny stories and thoughtful moments that had all of us mesmerized. We had so much fun with her!

This was really an interesting tour. The Capuchin Crypt was very unexpected, a bit bizarre and beyond interesting - the bones of monks made into art. In one of the crypts shoulder blades were arranged as butterflies. Even though we were only there for about 30 minutes it was absolutely a must see! For the Catacombs portion of the tour our guide was a geologist who had helped map these Catacombs, admitting to having been lost in the Catacombs as a student more than once. We did not get lost!

Biking the Appian Way with Fabrizzio. What a fun way to see this important part of Roman history! The tour started with a ride across Rome through the Jewish Quarter and past the Circus Maximus before heading out the Appian Way. This was a real bike ride (no e-bikes for us!) with some strenuous sections. We rode past Italian villas on the way to the Catacombs. On our way back we continued clockwise around the Forum, biking by the Arch of Constantine, down dei Fori Imperiali and past Curia of Pompey, where Cesar was assassinated. Fabrizzio was interesting and gave us many new tidbits of information on places we had seen. He also trusted that we knew what we were doing on bikes - this was not a tour for rookies! Back at the shop, Fabrizzio and the owner shared with us some of their favorite spots.

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and religious perspective.

Small room and a little dated BUT great location and staff!

Love the location and staff!! Room was generous for European standards. Great breakfast too!

convenient to the train station.

Adriana, our tour guide was great. We had a tired, grumpy, and hungry 9 year old. She walked us straight to dinner at the end of the tour!

Great way to visit Murano, see Venice, and learn the history of this unique Italian city!

My son's fav part of the visiting Florence! A must for families but also fun for all ages

Very family friendly way to cover a museum which isn't always fun for kids!

Grand Hotel Royal, Sorrento is the best hotel from our Southern Italy trip. It is centrally located in Sorrento with many nice restaurants near by. This elegant 5 star hotel is located at the top of a cliff with an elevator to the beach. The view from the beautiful garden and our balcony were magnificent . The staff was great and breakfast was delicious! It's so enjoyable and relaxing staying at the Grand Hotel Royal.

The Limoncello Tour with Chef Fiore was lot of fun. The wonderful meal from his restaurant was so delicious and I learned many different ways using lemon in my cooking from this tour. Thank you Chef!

It's amazing seeing the beautiful mosaic Bible stories all around the Cathedral of Monreale. Thanks to our terrific tour guide Antonio who made this tour very interesting and enjoyable! We had a wonderful time walking through the lovely town of Cefalu with many interesting shops and we tasted the best warm meat and sausage rice ball there. It's so wonderful cooling off and swimming at the beautiful Cefalu sandy beach.

Seeing the incredible story telling mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale was very impressive. Our excellent tour guide, Marta made this tour very interesting and lively. The vivid depiction of the captured animals and ostrich being loaded into a boat was awesome.

Enjoyed the sounds, taste and color of this delicious fish market tasting tour. Giusi our tour guide is excellent and we enjoyed the delicious green drink and fried seafood from her restaurant. The tasting menu from other restaurant and cheese sampling were great too.

The instructor was awesome and the tour was very interesting. Only comment would be to be sure the private transfer shows up about an hour later, as we were unable to stay for the sampling of the wine and food we had made.

Such a fun place with the most fantastic breakfast we've ever had! The staff was incredibly helpful and nice.

This place was magical! The views and location were breathtaking and the staff was the best! Wish we could have stayed longer.

The location couldn't have been better. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting on our balcony and looking up at the Acropolis. The rooftop restaurant was exquisite and the staff was the most helpful, friendliest I've ever met. They made us feel like old friends. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Fabulous view! We looked out our window in the morning and saw a deer in the field. The rooftop restaurant was great, and the staff was super friendly.

The bed was very hard. The lobby was locked until 7:30am so we could not wait on the couches when we needed to leave the hotel before 7:30am. There was an odd smell each time you walked into the lobby. Beautiful decor though.

This place was lovely! The folks were so friendly, the food was good, the outdoor seating was nice. No complaints!

So cute in the middle of Sorrento Square. Walking distance to the pier, 15 minutes. Room had a cute balcony and nice decor.

Nice hotel right next to the coliseum. Roof top restaurant with views of the coliseum.

Concierge was great! So concerned about our luggage not making it. Call the airport and just truly wanted to make the situation not stressful. He very helpful with providing a map of where to go and places to eat.

Paola was our guide and she did great! Wish I had a little more time at some of the areas, like the Vatican.

Chico was a great tour guide. We learned so much about this region of Italy. Ravello was our favorite and would have liked to spend more time there.

Andrea was our guide. He was friendly and knowledgeable, spoke good English. Capri was amazing and the views are breathtaking. We also did blue grotto which is definitely an experience. He even provided money for us when we didn’t have any to us the bathroom.

Mario was a great tour guide! My only complaint is that I didn’t have enough time there

Fun to learn about the wine and cheese from the region.

Stunning views. Shuttle to the city center. WONDERFUL STAFF!! Everyone was so friendly and very professional. Nice restaurants in the immediate surrounding area as well as the restaurant at the hotel itself.

Across from the train station and very loud. Scary elevator. Very loud argument between front desk and guest. Did not really feel especially safe in this location. Beds not comfortable. Front desk did not answer phone for information. Room was dingy and shower posed a big fall risk. The plumbing was loud and did not work at times. The breakfast was good. The person at the front desk when we first checked in was very helpful. The terrace from the room had space and the morning and evening views were pretty. Florence was my favorite city.

Excellent location, the street was filled with very nice restaurants. The staff was wonderful! Especially Chiara at the front desk! We loved her! Very professional and personable. A very impressive young lady and an asset to the hotel.

Luigi the driver picked us up on time. His English was very good and he knew the area well. The Amalfi coast speaks for itself and is really breathtaking. We had ample time to explore and shop!! It was great!!

Antonella was extremely knowledgeable about the region and the wines and even how the environment effects the grapes!! Definitely try to ask for her, she was fantastic!! The lunch at the winery at the end was amazing.

FUN!! Very educational experience! Caterina was knowledgeable and really had us all laughing! She was very patient and kind. She was very knowledgeable about the ingredients and the marketplace.

Very knowledgeable guide.

Gio was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide! It was an amazing experience!!