Authenticus Italy

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

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Royal Victoria

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Milano & Spa

Verona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon at leisure in Bellagio

Lake Como

Lake Como boat tour and guided visit of Villa del Balbianello

Italy

Private food tour of Verona

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was our 2nd time using kimkim; it's unlikely there will be a 3rd time.

We made clear when we planned this trip we wanted 4 rooms in Florence and 3 rooms in Rome (we were a group of 6 for 6 nights, and 5 for 3 nights). Kimkim only booked us 3 rooms in Florence, and we had to pay extra, at the last minute, for a fourth room which we were only able to secure for 2 of 4 nights in Florence. In Rome, we learned just before departing for Italy that kimkim had booked us only one room; thus, at the last minute, we had to pay way too much just to get a 2nd tiny room that three grown women had to share. This was a major error by kimkim.

In each Italian location, we had to pay an additional amount for "city taxes" about which kimkim never told us; they absolutely should have told us about this ahead of time.

Kimkim booked us on several tours. Some were very good, but too many of the booked tours were unsatisfactory because the guide was poor, the tour itself was just bad, or the audio quality was quite poor. There were instances where kimkim didn't provide detail where to go for the tour, told us incorrect start times, or provided incorrect travel times to get to the tour.

Given the money we paid, we didn't expect to take any tours with other people, but in two instances we were provided poor quality tours with at least 15 additional people. A tour of the Vatican was promoted as a 3 hour tour, but was only 2 hours, and we felt VERY rushed. Moreover, the guide failed to take us to St. Peter's Basilica, which we believe should be the highlight of any Vatican tour.

The driver Kimkim scheduled to take us to the Rome airport at 6:30 am failed to show up, causing us to scramble and squeeze into a tiny taxi. Multiple times during the trip, including when we attempted to figure out why the driver didn't show up, kimkim failed to answer its own after-hours "emergency line", which was absolutely inexcusable.

Bottom line ... for the substantial amount we paid, we expected a dramatically better experience.

We used KimKim for a trip to Croatia two years ago and had a wonderful experience. To the extent we had any issues, our Croatian kimkim travel agent gave us her phone number so that if/when we had issues, we had instant contact with her. Kimkim Italy did not provide us with similar information causing us much stress when we had issues.

Kimkim should be highly embarrassed about our experience. To make up for its errors, kimkim ultimately gave us about a 3% refund of the amount we paid ... ridiculously inadequate.

First, I have to thank Martina, Elisa, Alessia, and the rest of the Authenticus Italy team for their guidance and patience in working with us to plan my 50th Birthday trip to Rome, Naples and the Amalfi Coast. It really was the trip of a lifetime. Martina was so attentive to my wants and needs and was so helpful in picking an ideal itinerary of experiences that were special and unique to our preferences. She even included extra-special touches like a special surprise rooftop concert!

The hotels chosen were all in fantastic areas close to major sites and activitites, and very clean and comfortable and the breakfasts included helped get our days off to a nice start. The car services we had also were nice and made it so much easier to navigate the longer journeys of our trip with ease. The tours we had were all so in-depth and educational and the guides we had were incredibly knowledgable and entertaining. They helped show us things we never would have been able to find or do on our own. The meals and wine tastings and other foodie experiences were also fantastic, giving us a taste of how the locals live. The Vespa food tour of Rome, the tour of Pompeii, wine tasting on Mt. Vesuvius, the hike in the Amalfi mountains, and the Fiat tour to Positano were just a few of the amazing things we experienced. We took so many pics and made so many memories to last a lifetime!

We did have a few miscommunications once we landed in Italy (mostly due to me not getting the correct kind of eSIM for phone service beyond just WiFi/data) but they were handled very swiftly and efficiently with no impact to our itinerary or the enjoyment of any of the activities. I have learned from my mistake and now know what to do in the future!

In the end, I would not hesitate to use Authenticus Italy's services again and have already recommended them to friends and colleagues who are thinking of planning trips to Italy.

Grazie mille!
James and Jake

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Manfredi Suite

Rome

Clean, comfortable and close to major attractions. The breakfast is also nice!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Santa Lucia Naples

Naples

Beautiful hotel with spacious rooms. It was clean, comfortable and the closeness to the waterfront was nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Residence

Amalfi

Gorgeous hotel. Clean, comfortable, and being right on the beach was a huge plus.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Visit to the Colosseum, Palatin Hill and Roman Forum

Rome

Laura was a wonderful guide! So knowledgable and helpful in giving us a fantastic experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vespa Tour with Food Tasting

Rome

Pedro and Chris were so nice and helpful. They zipped us around Rome with speed and we got to taste delicious foods and see sites off the beaten path that we would not have been able to access as easily on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early Access Tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

Rome

Our guide Sev was a font of knowledge, guiding us through the often overwhelming halls of the Vatican with humor and his endless insight of the art and history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Premium wine tasting and dinner in Rome

Rome

Alessandro at Rimessa Roscioli was fantastic! His knowledge and passion for wine and food was infectious. The restaurant, especially the private wine tasting dining room, was super nice and homey. The wines and foods were also superb.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

Anna Maria was such a sweet guide. Since we had already done some walking around on our own, we skipped a few of the usual tourist spots and Anna Maria was grateful to get to go "off script" a bit and take us to some places she usually doesn't go to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Surprise gift activity

Rome

The rooftop opera concert on the Terazza Borromino was such a thoughtful touch! It really was special and even the light sprinkle of rain didn't put a damper on the evening.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Napoli

Naples

Ivan was a nice guide, taking us around to places we'd never thing to visit on our own or places that would be difficult for first-timers to get to. His knowledge of the history of Naples was so fascinating and impressive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting on Mount Vesuvius

Italy

This was such a treat! Everyone at the Cantina del Vesuvio was so enthusiastic about us making the most of the experience while serving up delicious wines and food in a stunning setting. A real highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fiat 500 Tour

Italy

Andrea was great! It was tough for us 3 tall guys to fit in the tiny car but once we rolled the top down we were good to go! The sights along the winding road to Positano were incredible and Andrea took such fantastic pictures of us and the car in some of the most beautiful settings you could imagine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Limoncello Experience & Tasting

Italy

We love LaLa! She was so sweet and helpful in guiding us through the process of making limoncello and the tasting, giving us a glimpse into her family's business, Valenti Positano. Besides the limoncello, we got to sample many more of the tasty treats Valenti makes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had a wonderful time in Italy. It was an amazing experience since it was my very first time to travel to Italy alone. I felt very safe. The planned tours were exceptional. The guides for these tours were very good, knows exactly what you need to see and explore. Alessia did a wonderful job in making sure my trip to Italy was memorable. The places she planned for me to visit were outstanding. Gabriele on the other hand was also very helpful especially when I cannot locate the scheduled tour that I have to attend. He made sure I get to my destination. Overall, the trip to Italy was outstanding and memorable. I will always remember the service I received from Alessia and Gabriele. You both were amazing. :)

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

Authenticity & Character

The decor of the room.

Location

Close to all historical places you wanted to see

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Navona Colors

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo delle Grazie

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very pleasant & helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Piazza Bellini & Apartments

Naples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Comfortable

Activity Reviews

Market Tour & Cooking Class

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

The pasta cooking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The chef was very good, patient and gave you time to learn to cook.

Welcome to Florence!

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chianti Wine Tour

Italy

The tour guide was very good. He is able to describe the areas we went to see and help you understand the places and appreciate the beauty of each places.

Quality of Experience

Food

The wine tasting

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowleageable

Transport

the type of vehicle used - very spacious and you feel safe in it

Welcome to Rome!

Rome

Rome is very busy and crowded. Lots of constructions. I enjoyed very much the cooking class. The chef was very good. Spent some time in the market. I would do the cooking class again if I go back to Rome for a visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A better instructions if you are to take the high speed train from Florence to Rome.

Welcome to Sorrento!

Sorrento

Sorrento is a very quaint place. The places, the people, the shopping and the food were outstanding. The lemon grove was also outstanding. The guide was very good in describing how the limoncello is taking care of .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver from Rome to Sorrento was very courteous.

Transport

The car was very comfortable.

Visit a traditional lemon grove & taste local Limoncello

Italy

The guide was very good. She was able to explain and show how the lemon were grown.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very knowledgable

Transport

It was a challenge to get to the place. The instructions were not clear.

Day trip to the Amalfi Coast

Sorrento

It was a nice drive to the Amalfi coast. I particularly not like the driver that drove me around the coast. He was a bit presumptious knowing I am travelling alone.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

To make sure the driver knows what his role is, i.e to show and guide

Transport

The car is very good and you feel safe

Street Food Tour around Naples

Naples

The guide was very informative. He was able to show us the different types of food in Naples.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything that the guide showed us from, fried fish, cheese platter, wine, beer, fried pizza and lastly the limoncello drink

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very knowledgeable.

Free afternoon in Naples

Naples

Lots of historical places to see - National Archeological Museum. Also was able to go to a musical concertn - Napolitanata. This was an amazing and outstanding musical concert. This is one of the highlights of my trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Arrivederci, Italy!

Italy

This trip was an amazing experience.

Quality of Experience

All the planned tour and the people you meet.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Easy to communicate

Transport

All the transportations were outstanding.

Guided Walking Tour of Florence

Florence

Quality of Experience

Good choice of places to see

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was able to explain every aspect of the walking tour

Transport

This is a walking tour

Our trip was fabulous! All of the hotels were really nice and their locations were close to all the attractions. Our tour leaders were great, and very knowledgeable on the subjects at hand. All of our transfers were on time, and the drivers were very cordial. All of the sites that Martina suggested were great, and we loved the different wineries she selected for us to visit. We would definitely use kimkim again in the future.

Activity Review

Private boat tour of Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

This boat tour was one of our favorite activities of our whole trip. Our host was great, knew the area well, and his English was perfect. He even had bread, pesto, and wine made by his neighbor on the boat for us and it was all exceptional!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vincenzo and Gabriele were fantastic! Very responsive and easy to deal with. Their help in organizing the tours, train rides and pick-ups/drop-offs was great. However, their ability to find and curate the right accommodations for our needs/wants was tremendous - we loved every hotel we stayed in - it was exactly what we wanted :) Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Florence

The Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco in Florence was lovely with a large room featuring a beautifully frescoed ceiling. The bed was very comfortable, the breakfast was nice, and it was within walking distance of the city center, making it very convenient. Easy access for taxis was an added bonus. Everything worked well, including the elevator and shower. Overall, it was a great stay with no complaints.

Hotel Miramare

Sorrento

Hotel Miramare on the Amalfi Coast offered a stunning view from the terrace, which we absolutely loved. We enjoyed leisurely evenings on the deck with takeout. It was quite a distance from the center of Sorrento, about a 25-minute walk with some hilly parts and limited sidewalks. It didn't deter us, but it's something to be aware of. The hotel met our expectations for a relaxing stay.

Relais Vignale & Spa

Radda in Chianti SI

Relais Vignale & Spa in Tuscany provided a fantastic view and a charming room with a little terrace. However, their restaurant was overpriced and underwhelming. Despite the dining disappointment, the overall experience in the hotel and Radda town was positive.

La Casa Di Lucio Hotel Relais

matera

La Casa Di Lucio Hotel Relais in Matera was truly special, featuring rooms built into caves. Although carrying luggage across cobbled streets was challenging, the unique room more than made up for it. The location highlighted the historical richness of Matera, making for a memorable stay.

Borgo d'Itria - Trulli Resort

Monopoli

Borgo d'Itria - Trulli Resort was charming, but not quite as spacious as previous accommodations. We faced an issue initially with the air conditioning, but it was resolved promptly. This wouldn't have bother us much, but the room was more compact than expected, lacking a window for air ventilation until the AC was fixed.

Activity Reviews

Visit a traditional lemon grove & taste local Limoncello

Italy

The tour of the lemon grove was enjoyable and family-run, located about a half-hour walk from our hotel. While the setting was lovely, we were caught off-guard by mosquitoes and the tour duration change from one hour in our booking to two hours on the day. However, the opportunity to buy Limóncello at the end of the tour was great and we really enjoyed it.

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

The Private Gondola Ride in Venice was a lovely experience, offering views of the city from the water. Unfortunately, the ride was shorter than expected, lasting only 18 minutes despite a 30-minute booking. We're glad we did it, but this mismatch in advertised versus actual duration was a little disappointing.

I cannot say enough great things about Vincenzo, Elisa and the Kimkim team for planning our amazing trip to Italy! From start to finish, the entire experience was seamless and stress-free. Vincenzo took the time to understand what we wanted from our vacation and crafted an itinerary that perfectly matched our interests and preferences.

Every detail was thoughtfully planned—from the charming accommodations to the knowledgeable guides who gave us an authentic feel for each city. The team was always available, providing prompt and helpful communication throughout the trip, which made us feel completely at ease. Whether it was exploring the rich history of Rome, the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, or indulging in the local cuisine, everything was flawless.

Thanks to Vincenzo and Kimkim, we had the trip of a lifetime! We cannot recommend them enough for anyone looking to plan an unforgettable experience in Italy. We will definitely use them again for our future travels!

Hugs,
Daniel and Christine Negalha

Our trip was a great experience for us. All of the guides were charming and knowledgeable. The hotels, restaurants and locales were a pleasure to experience. One especially gorgeous place was Marmore Falls and the food tour we took in Rome was a real treat. We have nothing but praise for our local specialist, Vincenzo.

Activity Reviews

Guided Walking Tour of Napoli

Naples

Visit Naples Underground

Naples

Guided Tour of Pompeii

Italy

The website made planning and booking a breeze. The ability to share comments back and forth about suggested locations, tours, and hotels streamlined the process. We felt we received a good value for our money and appreciated Vincenzo's efforts to stay within budget. Having local contacts who were available as needed gave us peace of mind. Upon arrival, we didn't have to worry about a thing—everything was booked and ready for us as expected.

The companies, guides, and drivers booked for us - from the amazing Cristina for the history and food tour in Milano to our excellent driver Giovanni for a rainy day trip to Lake Como and Tommasso for our walking history tour of Rome - were all exceptional. Their expertise and companionship made our experiences memorable.

My only negative feedback is that it would be helfpful if after the hotel is selected and the price point determined, provide reprsentative photos that depict the hotel rooms booked rather than the premium version to set the right expectation.

We will definitely keep KimKim in mind for future travel.