Monica Pellizzari

Our trip was wonderful from start to finish. Monica and Sonia were very responsive and helped us pick the best itinerary for us. We also added a 5th traveler fairly late into the planning, a development that they were able to accommodate without any fuss. We had great tour guides in Como (Silvia), Cinque Terre (Laura), and Pisa (Chiara). Because of illness, our sunset tour of Cinque Terre was canceled. Laura was able to book us on a daytime cruise so that we could see the villages from the water. It was just perfect! Our drivers were all fantastic and the vehicles comfortable. When there was a miscommunication about visiting one site, the driver added stop so that we could see as much of the Piemonte countryside as possible. It was fantastic! The vineyards chosen for us in Alba were great because they were quite different - one small, family operated and the other large and historic. We had such a perfect, personal experience at Ca' del Baio (including the very best lunch recommendation!). We stays in four great hotels and had the most amazing breakfasts. Thank you, Monica and Sonia for planning such a great itinerary! (And thanks for Barbara for serving as concierge while we were there!)

Everyone was incredibly friendly, punctual and helpful! It made for a very smooth and seamless trip experience! Would definitely recommend

When I booked this trip, with the help of Monica and Sonia, I expected to have to spend it with small groups with the usual confusion and mishaps. I can say that without a doubt this trip went so smoothly, we just could not believe it. We only had two excursions that were in a small groups and the rest of our tours and drives were just myself and my husband. We were picked up in luxury vehicles with friendly drivers who were always on time and knowledgeable about the region and made sure we stopped to see everything that we could. We learned so much about Italy through all of our drivers who were from each region and had a wealth of information. Every hotel we stayed at was exactly what we wanted and had a courteous staff with lovely accommodations.
In Venice, Enrico met us promptly and gave us lots of suggestions about how to get around. Enrico was delightful and was our contact through the whole trip. He checked in regularly to see how we were doing and to give us updates and important information. He took us on a food tour and made our time there feel very personalized. Elizabeth (sp?) gave us a personal tour of the Basilica and the Doge with so much information and insight.
In Florence, we drove around wine country with Massimo who was so kind and friendly. He stopped at several quaint towns and told us what to check out and made sure we knew all about the history of the area. We would have missed so much without his guidance.
On the Amalfi coast, our driver was Luigi who also gave us lots of information and tips about what to see. He made sure to stop at the best places to get pictures and see as much as possible in the little time that we had. I also have to mention that driving in Italy is stressful and all of our drivers were very professional and competent.
On our way to Rome, we stopped for yet another personal tour--this time of Pompeii. Our tour guide Gionni (sp?) was very informative and told us more than we could ever have learned by ourselves of the ruins.
In Rome, we had the only mishap of our trip that was caught by the hotel clerk who saved us a giant headache getting to the airport. I am still amazed that he was attentive enough to notice something was off.
I am still blown away by how amazing this trip was and how smoothly it all went. We would not have been able to pull this off by ourselves and using kimkim was absolutely the best decision. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to plan a perfect vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Bonvecchiati Palace

Venice

Courteous staff with lovely accommodations. We really enjoyed the breakfast and our room was nice and quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near ST Marcos and lots of quaint restaurants

Staff

everyone was very courteous

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Unique room with an amazing breakfast. This hotel was centrally located and was easy to get around to most attractions. Unfortunately for us, there was an event the days we stayed with lots of partying and street noise. The doors in this hotel are very decorative and nice but heavy and it was hard to keep from slamming them. Also unfortunate for us were the neighbors who slammed their door all night long. We also had an incident in the hotel rooftop bar where another patron tried to steal my husband's wallet. We kind of let our guard down in our hotel's bar with what we assumed were other hotel guest, but I guess you can never be too careful.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely decor

Location

Right in the middle of the city and close to most attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Hotel is a bit far from city center but they do offer a shuttle. The reason being is that it is right on the coast with fantastic views of the ocean and several restaurants and bars to eat and drink in the views. The staff was super friendly but for some reason they wanted to make a big deal about check in and being so tired we just wanted to get to our rooms. Also, the AC won't work unless the key is inserted and the hallways and lobby were pretty hot. They did make sure to give us an additional key so we could keep the air on while we were away. Be warned if you're staying here that this is a destination for weddings and we had a wedding party right outside our window with a band that played well into the night. If you have to have a quiet hotel, this may not be the place for you.

Authenticity & Character

quirky decor

Location

Literally can't get better with the views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

47 Boutique Hotel

Rome

I love boutique hotels and this was one of the nicest ones we have stayed in. The room was very nice and quiet and breakfast was great. We did have a concierge named Stephania (sp?) who was completely annoyed to have to answer our questions. I would have loved to have eaten at the rooftop restaurant but it was booked well into advance apparently. I am however, so grateful to one of the hotel clerks who was on service the early morning of June 16th. I don't remember his name but if it weren't for his attentiveness to where our driver was taking us, we may very well have missed our plane. He also made sure to pack our breakfast since we were leaving before it was served.

Authenticity & Character

unique and interesting decor

Location

close to many attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

"Bacari" local street food tour

Italy

This was probably one of my favorite things we did on this trip. Enrico took us around to some of the local places we would never have found on our own. We tried a lot of snacks and drinks and got to see where some of the locals eat. Enrico was the perfect host.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Private Excursion to Siena & Chianti Wine Region

Florence

Massimo was our driver and guide and we had him all to ourselves. I really enjoyed the wine tour. We samples many wines and had a very nice meal. Afterwards we drove around to a few other small cities and learned about their history and what to see and do there. Massimo also made sure to stop and show us the most picturesque views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento Coast & Capri Boat Tour

Italy

The staff was friendly and informative. They made sure to show us all the sights and gave us lots of information. They even played "That's Amore" when we went under the arches in Capri--which was hilarious and fun. The only complaint I have about this tour is they drop you in Capri for 5 hours. I would have preferred more time on the boat and swimming in the Mediterranean.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were extremely pleased with the overall experience we had with KimKim. Our local specialist, Monica took our ideas and provided us an itinerary that was specific to us. She offered excellent ideas and options and promptly answered any questions we had.
Alessia, our overall coordinator was excellent. From the first time we met her we felt a connection with her. She was warm, welcoming, so very knowledgeable and a joy to be with. Her command of the English language was comforting and just made everything easy. Alessia was precise in her coordination of our activities. She arranged every appointment with guides, drivers, etc. so that everything ran smoothly. She provided an updated itinerary every night for the next day.
In Venice, in addition to Alessia, Sylvia provided a guided tour to St Mark’s Cathedral and Doge’s Palace. She was knowledgeable, informative and cordial. We especially enjoyed the uniqueness of Venice. For the next several days, Simone was our driver. He was friendly, helpful and his good English was appreciated. Simona, our city guide in Florence did an excellent job of informing us of the depth of history, culture and arts in Florence. We were especially amazed that the church of Santa Croce was the burial place of so many famous Italians and there is a statute in there that may have inspired the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. Our day in the Tuscan countryside was my favorite. The stop in Sienna was fun and the wine tasting and lunch at Casa Emma in San Donato was a fitting celebration for 50 years of marriage. Our guide in Pisa, Vincenzo, was also knowledgeable and friendly. We were surprised at actually how much the leaning tower is actually leaning and what has been done to stabilize it. Our last few days were spent in the amazing Cinque Terre. Chiara was our guide of the five lands. Again, she was pleasant, knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy the day with us. We were disappointed that because of the weather we couldn’t enjoy the lands from the boat, but Chiara adjusted the schedule so that we still had a fun day. Two other drivers took us to Milan and then to the airport. They were both prompt and did an excellent job of delivering us to our designated places. Of everything, the planning and attention to detail was evident to us and very much appreciated.

Hotel Review

Santa Croce Boutique Hotel

Venezia

The friendliness and helpfulness of the staff at Santa Croce Boutiques Hotel was above and beyond our expectations. The room was clean and convenient to surrounding areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The friendliness of the staff and their desire to meet our every need.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Full-Day Private Excursion to Siena & Chianti Wine Region

Florence

We enjoyed seeing the countryside. The lunch and wine tasting in the beautiful surroundings was a memory we won’t forget.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent trip. The planning was very smooth and Monica thought of everything. My favourite part was the beautiful hotels and the easy transfers. I highly recommend using KimKim as they've got loal guides who can help with all the planning and then the transfers between cities if that's what you're doing.
Loved every minute!

Hotel Review

Hotel Corona D'oro

Bologna

From the minute I stepped inside I felt like I was a movie star. The staff were incredibly helpful and catered to us the whole time. The room was incredibly lavish and huge and there was a free bar for Spritz's etc. I wanted to stay forever and live there. The breakfast was incredible with cold cuts from Bologna and parmesan cheese. I didn't even think I liked parmesan cheese until Bologna. The location is excellent and you're so close to all the action yet it was quiet in the rooms. The bathrooms were beautiful although the toilet was particularly high (my son even fell off one time). I honestly can't wait to go back and would leave 100 stars if I could!

Tips for future travelers

Definitely stay there if you can!!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful room and the ceilings were incredible

Location

So close to all the action!

Staff

Lovely check in and check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed could have been softer but it was all so beautiful that I didn't mind

Activity Review

Tour of Pisa

Florence

Our tour guide was fantastic and knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. He made me fall in love with the region and what we saw. The tower of Pisa was quite incredible to see as well. I wanted to stay with the tour guide and have him show me all of Italy!

Quality of Experience

Tour guide!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Absolutely excellent

Transport

Loved our driver!! Loved having a private van.

There were a few minor glitches. I would have liked to have had St Peter's Basilica included in the Vatican trip, but it wan't and I wasn't given that option. Most guides were super informative and delightful, but there is a parking problem in Tuscany tour and the guide couldn't accompany us on the sights. Again, it would have been good if the Pisa was arranged in a way so we could have entered it, but that was not an option.
In Rome, I would have liked to have had a tour of the first level of Coliseum.
The hotel at Spainsh Steps was not great. For the prices that I paid, I would have liked to have better luxury.
Since you asked: David was the highlight. Sisteine chapel was underwhelming (Sorry Michaelangelo! I expected to be blown away like seeing Mona Lisa. I wasn't)
Except for these two minor glitches (4 1/2 stars but you don'e have 1/2 stars), everything was out of this world. They even tried to pick pocket us in the subway in Rome. Speaking of the complete experience!
Monica was outstanding. A definite 5. Alessia in Venice was great. Another 5.
Hope to work with you again next year for Greece!