Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

We loved our trip to Venice, Florence, and Rome. I simply did not have time to plan a trip to three cities, but the activities and tours selected were all perfect for each city. Not having to worry about transportation or getting tickets prevented a lot of stress. Having private tours to the various places of interest meant we skipped long lines and had a much more enjoyable and informative visit than if we’d done it on our own. We had time to wander around on our own as well, which my family appreciated.

Activity Reviews

Florence and Accademia City Tour

Italy

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the art in Florence. We spent a long time in the Galleria looking at the statue of David, and I have a much more informed appreciation of the statue than I did before. Hands down, it was better than if we’d just wandered in on our own without a guide. We visited a few other notable sites in Florence, and our guide, a nice guy to hang out with, had a lot of interesting information about the history and art of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

I thought a gondola ride was just a touristy thing to do, and I’d heard that the canals were smelly. It’s true that here and there as we walked through Venice, occasionally there would be a section of a canal that reeked a bit, but the gondola ride itself was not on one of those sections. The ride was relaxing, interesting, and fun. It was an extremely enjoyable experience, and I would definitely do it again. I only wish it had been longer.

Quality of Experience

Seamless, smart planning produced a splendid trip for my family that gave us exactly the experience we'd hoped for. We came in with a rough vision, and Tasos used local knowlege to help us refine it. The logistical suggestions he made increased our ease. The local contractors he found brought our vision to life. The on-demand support allowed us to just relax and enjoy our experience rather than stressing about details. I'm a fairly cheap person. I don't like to spend money that doesn't need spending. But the mark-up we had to pay for KimKim to connect us with Tasos and Tasos to handle all the details of our adventure was well worth it.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Capo d'Africa—Colosseo

Rome

Hotel Capo d'Africa - Colosseo was in the perfect location for us. The AC was reliable, the rooms clean, and the breakfast delicious. At our price point, this was a five-star hotel; I'm only giving it four stars because there are certainly more luxurious places to stay in Rome!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Souvenir Hotel

Monterosso al Mare

Souvenir Hotel was located in the old town part of Monterosso, far enough from the train to be quiet but just steps from everything we wanted to be close to (beach, shopping, restaurants, trails, etc.). It was just splendid. The AC in one room was broken the first night, but the staff improvised a solution for the next two nights. The breakfast was lovely. The black-out shades were great. We had heard that accommodations in Cinque Terre tend to be spartan and were pleasantly surprised by this clean, comfortable lodging. That said, it's not a five-star hotel! Go in expecting it to be just fine for what you need, not to knock your socks off, and you'll be more than satisfied, especially since location is such a key piece of the puzzle for Cinque Terre.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Santa Maria Novella

Florence

Hotel Santa Maria Novella could not have been better. We will stay here every time we visit Florence from here on out. The accommodations were luxurious, the rooms as comfortable as any five-star hotel, the location ideal, the staff available, the AC reliable, and the gym servicable!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local transfer in Rome

Rome

The driver was a little late, but got the job done!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Sunset Rome Walking Tour & Orientation

Rome

This part of our trip was a bit disappointing. Our tour guide had a thick accent which meant that two of our kids couldn't understand what she was saying. The tour covered the Colloseum, which we were scheduled to see later in our trip, and we weren't able to have any special access to anything else. No "stand here" secrets to deal with the crowds at Trevi Fountain, no restaurant recommendations in the neighborhood we wanted to eat in, no going inside the Palazzos listed as places we'd see, etc. It felt a bit like a neighbor or family friend walking us around town rather than an expert. We would have preferred a tour more tailored to the rest of our itinerary with a guide who spoke English in a way our children could understand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

Tania did a lovely job helping us navigate the lines and see what we wanted to see!

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Marco was really great at what he does! He kept things interesting for the kids, pivoted to switch things around to beat the heat, gave us advice on other stuff in Rome, and more.

Hiking Cinque Terre with Cultural stops

Cinque Terre

Marta did an incredible job of pivoting to give our family an experience customized to what we needed, even shepherding one of our kids back to the hotel so that the rest of us could hike an additional leg of the trail and returning to escort another child after that leg. The lunch that Tasos and the Travel 12 agency coordinated was absolutely perfect. The food was delicious, and the timing was expertly orchestrated. We can't recommend this activity highly enough!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Kayak Tour

Italy

We had a great time kayaking to a secret cove, and our guide did a great job switching folks around in the kayaks to make things work smoothly, but it would have been nice to know ahead of time how choppy the water is! We would have taken medication for motion sickness. Still, it was a great suggestion by Tasos and a great addition to our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Florence Highlights Walking Tour (Semi-private)

Florence

Sara did a fantastic job explaining things to the kids in engaging ways and getting us oriented in the city. She really helped them contextualize David and wrap their minds around the Medici family's power and the historical context of the Renaissance. And her restaurant recommendation was our very favorite from the trip! We went there twice and had one of the best meals we've ever eaten. Just fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It would have been nice to have been met at the hotel and walked over to the highlights. We had trouble finding our meeting place.

Florence Food Markets Tour

Florence

This tour was good and Jessica did a good job. I'm just giving it four stars rather than five because it wasn't as action-packd as our other activities, and we didn't learn as much as we did on the other tours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We would have liked to have been met at the hotel and walked over to the food markets. It was tricky getting the kids over to the first one.

Bike tour in Tuscany from Florence

Italy

We can't recommend this experience highly enough! We just wish we had a little more time in the first two stops, since those felt rushed. Also, my husband would have liked a more intense biking experience, and we pushed for that, but what our guides offered turned out to be perfect for our family. My only suggestion would be to change the description to make it clear that the biking is really a cruise, not a work out, even without e-bikes. Having the van to block traffic for us at roundabouts and give one of our kids a little break was a great luxury. And the whole experience was quite seamless and enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved our trip to Italy. Fabio was excellent and so informative and helpful. He was very responsive on texts as well. We had some unforeseen air travel delays and Fabio made all the necessary adjustments quickly and efficiently. All of our hotels were perfect - great locations, delicious breakfasts and comfortable for our family of 5. He also did a great job on suggesting tours to take and all of our guides were A++++. I highly recommend Fabio. We want to return to Italy to explore other areas and when we do, we will definitely use Fabio again.

Hotel Reviews

Il Castello Apartment

Menaggio

Great apartment! A little difficult finding it but Fabio helped. AC wasn’t working 100% but weather outside was gorgeous so it didn’t matter. Amazing location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Frame Hotel Florence

Florence

Location is amazing! Comfortable. Fit our family of 5 well. Front desk staff is great too. Breakfast is delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Plaza Sorrento

Sorrento

Location, location, location. Awesome hotel in the perfect spot in town. Amazing rooftop bar and comfortable rooms. Breakfast is also very good. Pool is crowded and people cover their chairs w towels and then never come back so we didn’t ever get more than one chair for 5 of us. Wish hotel regulated that more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Condotti - Luxury Apartments

Roma

Lovely spacious apartment. Great location. Comfortable!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Skip-The-Line Accademia Gallery Ticket

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Amalfi Coast & Capri Island Boat Excursion | Stop in Capri Island

Sorrento

Great! Loved the private tour. The stop in Capri was a little long…but besides that, it was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Boat Experience - Explore Lake Como

Italy

So much fun and informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Mall Firenze | Shopping Tour

Florence

Perfect!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Informative guide. It was VERY hot but she gave us many breaks in the shade.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour of the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Best guide ever! He was informative and kept it interesting for our children.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From our first interaction with KimKim and Tasos, our experience has been excellent. As promised it was an unforgettable family trip to Italy!

Trip Planning: Tasos was responsive to all of our input and accommodated all of our requests regarding locations and activities. He and his team planned a custom itinerary that included fun, meaningful tours, plenty of down-time and free time for exploration. He and his team provided relevant, well-researched recommendations for neighborhoods, activities and restaurants for days that were left unstructured.

Execution: Every transfer, meeting point, travel day was fully planned and went off without a hitch! We've never before travelled in this way and to say it eliminated the major stress associated with traveling would be an understatement.

Tours: Our trip included private, pre-planned tours on the Island of Ischia, the Colosseum, the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, through the Tuscan countryside to a saffron farm/private lunch, on e-bikes from Castello di Brolio in Chianti to Piazza del Campo in Siena, and through St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. Most tours were arranged by LivItaly and every single tour guide enhanced the experience immensely. Not only were they knowledgeable about the history and points of interest, they were an absolute pleasure to be with. Each one focused on what interested our group the most and tailored the experience to us. Each guide was magnificent. Thank you to Francesca, Francisco, Mattia, Pam, Ricardo and Sabrina. Bravo!

Accommodations: All of the accommodations were perfectly planned based on our needs and met our expectations. Tasos was even able to make some last-minute changes for us without issue.

Transfers: It may seem a small detail, but it is worth noting that all transfers were excellent. Drivers were prompt, pleasant and ... good drivers (especially where traffic rules are merely suggestions in many places!). Bravo to ICarelimo!

KimKim: The website was easy to use and provided all the information and links we needed. One suggestion would be separate the trip details from the trip cost so details can be shared with others separately (without cost).

We greatly appreciate all of the planning and meticulous attention to detail that Tasos and his team did to make our trip smooth and unforgettable. We cannot wait to get back on the road again. THANK YOU

I really appreciate Rita's help and patience while working with us. She gave us accurate information and made great suggestions for the types of activities that would make our trip to Italy a great success. Rita helped us stay within our budget while still giving us memorable private tours and much-needed transportation. If I am planning another trip to Italy, or to another country, I will definitely use KimKim to help create the best itinerary for us.

This trip was amazing. Every detail was taken care of. We just need to enjoy the sights. Thank you for a wonderful trip.

Activity Reviews

Family-Friendly Rome By Golf Cart

Rome

A great way to see the city. Guides were knowledgeable and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tuscany Day Trip to Siena and San Gimignano

Italy

Love the winery and the tour of where the wine was stored. Good was amazing. Georgia was an excellent tour guide.

Quality of Experience

The experience was great! The transfers, hotels and care line all worked well.

Two points that would have helped:
1) Pantheon Inn wasn’t at the same level as Tasso and Cannaletto. More hotel choices would have been great.
2) With young kids and the heat, the tours were too long.

Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Pantheon Inn

Rome

Elevator kept going out, breakfast was so so and quality of room / furniture was poor.

Authenticity & Character

Architecture

Location

Easy to walk to all

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quality of furniture

Hotel Canaletto

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius walking tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Venice guided walking tour with gondola ride

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Good info and walk, but Too long and too much standing and sitting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican & Sistine Chapel - Small Group Tour

Rome

Too long on a hot day with young kids.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have a lot to say about the month of July spent in Italy - it has been hard to put into words in my review of the services I received and the coordination that Anita Matijasevic provided. The communication was clear and very suited and tailored to my style - Anita was open to listening, and accommodating to my train of thought, let alone my requests. I revised an itinerary with Anita until it was basically perfect and encapsulated everything I had in mind to do and see. She also arranged with perfect rooms for me as a solo traveler, in great locations either super convenient or in prime locations or, basically always.. Both! All of which was excellent situated into my budget. Everything about the stays had their charm and I appreciated where I stayed in every city I settled down in for adventures and experiences.
In a summary of my travel; I landed in Italy for my first stay in Venice. I traveled onward for Florence where a Cinque Terre day trip was also part of that trip. My next stay was in Rome. And from there I visited Naples which included the Amalfi Coast AND Pompeii! Transportation from city to city was effortless with train tickets all in order prior to travel.
Everything worked out. Everything exceeded my expectations.
That is all due to Kimkim, to Anita, and to being a traveler ready for excitement, adventure, and receptive of everything that comes in being somewhere new.

I have been asked many times now, "what was my favorite part of the trip?"
I do not have a favorite, I have favorited each in my mind and journals each part of my travel having individually and respective appealing aspects. There was literally no complaints I have and that is rare, but genuinely true when I say it here.

10/10 I def recommend using this service for your next Italy vacation! The whole process ran so smooth. The tours, guides, and drivers that they set up for us were amazing and so friendly and kind. Arianna listened to what we wanted and planned a wonderful trip. Jessica and Barbara stayed in touch with us daily to provide reminders for times and meeting points and were available to answer any questions. I couldn’t imagine going back to Italy without using this travel team again! We had such a great time!!

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo delle Grazie

Sorrento

We loved our stay here! It is in the perfect location, easy access to the shops and great restaurants. The breakfast every morning was fabulous. The room was large and the bed was so comfortable. Everyone was so kind. We had an early morning checkout and they prepared us a box of pastries to take on the road! 10/10 would def recommend!

Authenticity & Character

The rooms were beautifully decorated!

Location

Walking distance to everything you want to do!

Staff

They provided us with a box of pastries for the road on our early morning checkout, so kind!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was so comfy and they cleaned daily and provided fresh towels daily, it was awesome!

Salotto Monti Rome

Rome

Def recommend this hotel! It’s in a great location, about a 15 min walk to the Trevi or 20 min walk to the colosseum. The room was cozy and the bed was so comfortable. The breakfast every morning was so good- def recommend taking it on the terrace!

Authenticity & Character

It is situated on a quieter street and is on the third floor of this building, but no fear there are two cute elevators for caring up luggage!

Location

Great location!

Staff

Everyone was so kind!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were cleaned daily and fresh towels given daily, it was awesome!

Activity Reviews

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

This was so fun!! Def would not have been able to take in the full experience without having a fabulous tour guide to lead the way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour with Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica

Rome

I def recommend going in a tour group for this experience! We really were able to enjoy it so much more than if we just walked around by ourselves, the guide was so knowledgeable. It also allowed us to skip a lot of the lines which was fabulous given how busy and hot it was!

Naples to the Amalfi Coast or Amalfi Coast to Naples - Pompeii en Route

Italy

This was one of our favorites!! It was a private walking tour around Pompeii for 2 hours and it was absolutely fabulous. Our tour guide, Mary, was so knowledgeable and very clearly loved the history, she made it so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was amazing. He picked us up from the airport and took us here, and then to our stay in Sorrento. He gave us great recommendations for restaurants!

Transport

Our driver was there waiting for us at the train station, and when we arrived at Pompeii he called our tour guide to let her know we had arrived, and waited until we had finished with our luggage!

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour by Sorrento

Italy

This activity is a MUST. It was phenomenal. We were picked up at our hotel, taken to the marina where us and three other couples got on a boat and were taken to Capri. Our guide was fabulous, the driver was awesome. We got to go around the island by ourselves and then get back on the boat and swim. They provided snacks and sandwiches and wine!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza School at Agriturismo

Italy

This activity was one of my absolute favorites. We were driven to this beautiful farm up a mountain. The family of the farm was so incredibly charming and funny and very clearly loved what they do. They taught us how to make pizzas like pros, and we had an absolute fantastic time. Anna was incredible!!! I also loved being able to enjoy the pizzas at a communal table and talk to other people in the group who were from all over. Def recommend this to everyone!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Oh my gosh the wine was amazing. The pizza was fabulous. the pana cotta was so good!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Francesco was fantastic in planning and executing our Italy trip. He accommodated our interests in the timeframe we had. Rome was very interesting with all the history. Loved the pizza making in Florence. Venice was little underwhelming.
Francesco and his team were available on WhatsApp as needed. They were proactive about a train strike and made sure our trip went smooth.
Only critical feedback would be to also suggest places other than what client wants.

Hotel Reviews

The Guardian Hotel

Rome

Located somewhat close to city center. Would have preferred closer. Rooms were smaller. Staff was helpful. They packed a takeout breakfast when we needed.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing fancy

Location

Was a good 15-20 min walk for most trips. Would prefer closer.

Staff

Helped pack takeout breakfast

Cleanliness & Comfort

FH55 Hotel Calzaiuoli

Firenze

Fantastic location, minutes from Uffizi gallery. Comfortable room and very friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

VENICE TIME HOTEL

Venice

Close to train station and boat. Small with almost non existent lobby.

Authenticity & Character

Very vanilla

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome - 2h Gladiator School

Rome

Fun activity for kids. You learn the history and actually get to do some sword techniques.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hard to find taxi from the location

GUIDED TOUR OF THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE OF ANCIENT POMPEII FROM ROME WITH STOP IN NAPLES

Rome

Very comfortable tour and fantastic tour of Pompeii! It’s very short stop at Naples and so wish was longer. Lunch was delicious but few more options would have been good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Comfortable bus

Rome in a Day Tour with Colosseum and Vatican Museums guided tours

Rome

Good tour to finish Colosseum, Forum and Vatican City in a day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Have to take taxi

Pizza and gelato making class

Florence

Fantastic activity that is so much fun for adults and kids. Highly recommend. Great instructors. Clean kitchen and good quality ingredients. Best Pizza and gelato we ever made. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Great staff, instruction, small group, quality ingredients and results.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fun and knowledgeable staff

Transport

Near city center

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

Very underwhelming experience. Took forever to get there. We got on a Gondola that was very vanilla. The guy rowing wasn’t super friendly. It was just 30min of sitting with not much info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A better interactive ride would be ideal.

Half day tour Pisa and the leaning tower

Florence

Very convenient half day tour that takes you to Pisa and even climb on top! Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All of our guides were amazing and we are pleased we paid the extra for the private guided tours. Lorenza picks for our family hit the mark on our needs and everything was amazing. Lorenza was available when and if needed on our travel days and all the guides and drivers were knowledgeable on our location and needs. We felt like we were taken care of which was amazingly comfortable for family travelling together with various needs.

Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome were perfect balance for two week trip. Italy is so Beautiful we would definitely return.

Thank you Lorenza!!

We recently returned from a fantastic family trip to Italy, all thanks to the incredible planning by our travel agent, Rita Pagano. Our trip was to visit our ancestral home with 3 generations and 12 family members ages 17 to 84. We started in Milan and ended in Florence, with several stops along the way. Rita efficiently planned everything from booking our hotels, renting cars, and making transfers to organizing tours in Parma and Tuscany. The tours in Parma With Ricardo and wine tasting in Tuscany with Andrea were informative, fun, and delicious, adding a great touch to our Italian adventure.
The hotels we stayed in were not only comfortable but also conveniently located, making it easy for us to explore the cities. Rita was always available when we needed to make additions to our itinerary and handled our needs in a timely fashion, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable trip.
Our family had a fantastic time, and the entire experience exceeded our expectations.
We are deeply grateful for the beautiful memories we made during this trip, and they're all thanks to our travel agent's meticulous and thoughtful planning. We couldn't have asked for a better experience and highly recommend their services to anyone planning a trip.

Hotel Reviews

Maranello Palace

Maranello

The Maranello Palace in Modena was the perfect stop on our way to Florence. The hotel accommodated our large family traveling together. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The buffet breakfast was a great start to the day. The hotel was conveniently located near the Ferrari Museum and the Pagani factory. I highly recommend a visit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is a great place to stay to visit the local car museums!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco was an excellent place to rest our heads when we visited Florence. The hotel is within walking distance to the Piazza Del Duomo, Pitti Place, and the Ponte Vecchio. The hotel had lovely rooms decorated with style and comfort in mind. The daily breakfast included fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, and bread. The staff was eager to make our stay enjoyable and recommended a great restaurant. We will definitely stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Lots of art and antiques!

Location

Close to the center of Florence

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Foodie Excursion to Parma

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Tuscany: Chianti Winery Visit & San Gimignano

Florence

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We truly had such an incredible trip. Thank you to our specialist, Lorenza, for packaging up such an amazing trip!

We started our trip in Milano. We only had a day and a half there, but we were able to see the duomo and shop/eat in the Galleria. The hotel? It was okay and nicely located but the owner of the hotel is not nice.

Our next stop was Siena, as we really wanted to see the Palio. Lorenza arranged a rental car so we could drive to Siena. Siena is such a beautiful, medieval town and the place was hopping since the Palio was happening. We were going to go to the actual race on July 2nd but we didn't get back into town in time. And luckily we didn't. (You have to stand in the sun for 4 to 5 hours the day of the race). After 3 false starts, it started to rain and the race was called off! It didn't happen for another 2 days. We had a nice tour of the town with our guide, Barbara. And we toured a cheese farm outside of Pienza where we had a cheese and wine tasting. It was gorgeous there and the experience was incredible. We stayed at the Hotel Athena within the walls of the town. It was a very nice hotel with very accommodating staff. It was on the edge of town so it wasn't so crazy around the town....and luckily they had parking!

Next stop was Firenze (Florence). We stayed at a very cool (and a little creepy) hotel called Garibaldi Blu. It was in a great location where we could base out of for 4 nights. We had a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery with our guide, Lucia, who also happened to be our guide for our food tour the next evening. Everything about Florence was stunning. I'm glad we dropped off our rental car in Florence before checking in to the hotel. Florence is NOT a city you want to be driving in!

From Florence we were supposed to take a train to Manarola in the Chinque Terre region. On the day we were scheduled to leave Florence, there was a scheduled train strike in Italy. Lorenza was on top of it and hired us a private transport to Chinque Terre. (Thank you, Lorenza!!). Manarola is a very cute town in the Chinque Terre region and we stayed at this cool little boutique hotel call Marina Piccola (small marina). When we opened our window we were looking at the Mediterranean Sea. Beautiful! We explored 4 of the 5 towns, including a challenging 6 mile hike from Corniglia to Monterroso al Mare. When we arrived in Monterroso we headed straight for the beach. We rented chairs and an umbrella, bought a bottle of white wine from the region, and ended up meeting some really fun people from the US. Lorenza arranged a 2-hour kayak trip that was really fun. When we got back we ended up eating lunch at a little restaurant right on the beach. Mixed salad, bruschetta, and an amazing pesto dish!

We took a train out of Manarola to Genova (Genoa) and stayed at yet another super cool hotel, Hotel Melia. We had a really fun (and fiilling) food tour in Genova with our guide, Valentina. The tour was over 3 hours long and we ate, drank, and learned a lot about Genova. The hotel had a room that had an indoor pool, Turkish bath, tropical shower, and regular shower. You had to make reservations in advance as the capacity was limted to 4 people. It was SO cool!

We traveled by train from Genova back to Milan where we met our driver, who took us to Bellagio on Lake Como. What a way to end the trip. We had a top floor, corner room at the Florence Hotel. Floor to ceiling doors opened up on to small balconies overlooking the lake. We had a private tour with a guide, Robbie, where we took a boat over to Villa Carlotta (beautiful gardens), then over to Varenna, where we had a nice lunch. We visited the gardens at Villa Melzi, and on our last night we went back to Villa Melzi and watched a men's chorale group perform outdoors on their 60th anniversary.

Unfortunately it was back to Milan for 1 night before we flew home. Such a beautiful trip so such a beautiful country. I can't believe I am half Italian and this was my first time there. We will definitely be back. Thank you to Lorenza for such an incredible itinerary with incredible accommodations. Couldn't have done it without her!

Although there were some large gaps in communication during planning and reservation making, Thomas put together a great itinerary for us. We had an amazing trek through two parks in the Dolomites.

Normally I don't write reviews, but I felt that the service I received made my trip 100% more enjoyable.

Starting with the planning of the trip, Andrea was really easy to work with. We went over our price range, the ideal trip (walking tours, food tours, both smaller and larger cities, incorporating some relaxation, experiencing true Italian experiences). We booked 4-5 months in advance of our trip. The booklet we received that outlined the trip had all the details, and went over where to meet each guide at what time, and how long it would take. It had every train, event, and other travel tickets were provided timely. Every hotel they booked was in a really good location in our opinion. Every guide was great and would text us the day before letting us know who they were and where to expect to meet them. The most important aspect of the trip was how they handled our transportation issues that arose.

During our trip, the Italian train companies went on strike midway through our trip. The team at Kimkim communicated that this was going to be an issue the minute they knew and went to work on finding a solution. Within 24 hours they had booked a private transport service that would take us away from the regional trains and booked us on a different train in a different city that was hopefully guaranteed. Everything ended up working out great, the train they booked was not cancelled, and they stayed in constant communication with us the entire time. It truly felt that we were not alone and allowed my wife and I to enjoy our honeymoon instead of stressing about this issue. I will definitely be using Kimkim in the future and recommend their services to any individual.

I cannot recommend KimKim and Melanie enough!!! From our private transportation to our guided tours, everything went smoothly and we learned a lot about Italy and all of it's rich history and beauty!!!

Activity Reviews

Amalfi coast boat tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Historical Rome walking tour and Colosseum guided Tour

Rome

Lake Como Boat tour

Lake Como

Massimo was our boat captain!! He showed us all the sights!!! He was wonderful!! Definitely 5 stars!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Tuscany

Italy

Rhonda spent the entire day with us with stops in Siena and San Gimignano!! She was very knowledgeable and very professional!

KimKim travel helped put togethet an itinerary just right. We wanted to manage to our budget and have experiences beyond sight seeing. Melanie help us achieve that. The hotel was situated perfectly and wr has a wonderful time.

Hotel Review

43 Station Hotel

Milan

The staff were so helpful. Breakfast was fantastic. And the staff recommended 2 restaurants both perfect and not expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast is great, rooms comfortable, staff friendly and helpful

Activity Reviews

Gelato and Pizza Making class in Milan

Milan

What a great experience. The class wad fun and well paced. Thete were all levels of experience but the chef kept us all engaged. We made and ate our pizzas, had sip of wine while he talked about gelato, then made our own cones and finished by saviuring fresh made gelato w toppings we chose. Plus! The location is an amaxing foodhall that we visited the next day. This is a do not skip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We could walk from the hotel

Street Food Tour

Milan

A wonderful way to see the parts of the city and exolire foods. Our guide Marco made it feel like we were on an afternoon walk with a foidie friend taking us to his favourite spots. The balsamic tour and tasting started us off, but every stop was a highlight.

Quality of Experience

Food

Almost everything but especially tasting some things were would have missed on our own

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly guide, easy peace, interesting stops

Transport

Easy meeting point to get.

I can't speak highly enough about KimKim and their entire team. Our family just returned from an incredible 10 day journey to Italy and we could not have made it all possible without Arianna's amazing planning and Barbara's constant logistical support once we were there. Arianna worked tirelessly in helping us to plan the perfect trip for our crew of 5 (ranging from 10-48 years). We started in Venice (2d) where we had an exceptional guide named Sarah, then moved on to Lake Como (2d) where Barbara helped us figure out how to work around the only rain we had on the trip, allowing us to catch a later tour with Paulo, our wonderful captain. Our next stop was Cinque Terre, (3d) which was beautiful beyond words and our collective family favorite. We ended our trip in the "Eternal City" of Rome (2d), where we were fortunate enough to have Gioia lead us through both the Coliseum and the Vatican. We were all blown away at the amazing beauty and diverse attractions Italy has to offer! My wife and I were especially impressed with the AXIUS app we had access to. It kept us perfectly organized and in constant contact with Barbara, should we need ANYTHING during our stay. Every time, meeting point, document, ticket, hotel, and transportation detail was accounted for and accessible within seconds. Would definitely use KimKim again and recommend to friends/family. Thanks you!!!

We had a fabulous intergenerational vacation to Italy. Eleonora could not have planned a better trip for us. She took care of all the details and chose excellent places for us to stay. One of us needed wheelchair assistance and Eleonora rented us a wheelchair that we picked up at our hotel in Rome and left in our hotel in Milan. Thank you! Every driver was on time and every tour guide in exactly the right spot at the right time. Sarah in Pienza and Eleana in Florence were amazing and so knowledgeable as were all of our other tour guides. Our stay in Tuscany was out of the movies. We had a family pesto making class and have already made it back in the states. Eleonora checked in on us throughout our trip and even managed to get coats back to us that we left in one of the cars. I highly recommend Kim Kim and Eleonora. Thank you for the perfect memorable vacation in Italy.

It's hard to know where to begin, this trip was so well planned for our family! We were a group of six traveling which included my dad who has limited ability to walk any distance. We did not have a clear vision of our itinerary. Eleonora created the perfect plan encompassing Rome with an open air tour, Tuscany which included a breathtaking stay at a farm house with wonderful food and hospitality and the Italian Riviera with just the right amount of planned guided tours as well as open time to relax and explore. All transportation was prearranged and every driver and tour guide were delightful, professional and on time! We were wowed by the level of service and warmth provided throughout the trip. This was a trip of our lifetimes and we are grateful we found kimkim and that we were able to work with Eleonora. kimkim is an excellent resource and portal made communication and transactions very simple with all the details in one place. Our group will all highly recommend! Sincerely, Joan S-C