Alberto Buzzanca

From start to finish, booking and traveling with Kimkim was the best choice we could have made for our 14 day trip to Italy. Our plan was to have 3 locations to visit/stay at a leisurely pace with few activities to allow us to explore and experience Italy on our own. We had 3 “phases” dreamed up for our trip that including a countryside stay in Tuscany, Rome visit for a wedding, and Amalfi coast trip for beach and relaxing on the water.We initially decided to try using a travel company to assist with planning the Tuscany portion of our trip, mainly because we were having trouble figuring out where to stay in the countryside and how to get around without renting a car. It was also the first time we’ve planned an international trip and we were quite overwhelmed with all of the logistics and places to visit. Kimkim came highly recommended from a friend, so we decided to ask for recommendations for our entire trip.

All of our accommodations, transfers, planned activities and tours were just what we wanted. We had local guide (cannot remember her name) give us a private tour of Pompeii and she was fantastic! Special thanks to her, our driver for the day, and Alberto because we woke up late on the morning of the tour, and they were all in constant communication and so accommodating despite being an hour behind on activities. Alberto was in constant communication with us, checking in and making sure that everything was going smoothly. Cannot recommend Alberto and KimKim enough!

Our trip:
- 2 nights Siena
- 3 nights Tuscan wine resort/countryside B&B
- 3 nights in Rome
- 4 nights in Amalfi town on Amalfi coast
- 1 night Rome for flight home the next day

We had a great time on our trip but there are a few things we feel should be addressed -As far as we knew all the hotel payments were pre-paid -However the first hotel we stayed at told us we never paid and wouldn’t let us leave until the matter was straightened out -finally that was resolved but we almost missed our pre-paid ferry . Each hotel charged us additional fees for city taxes-these should have been prepaid as well but we had to pay them-if we did owe that to them it should have been arranged earlier-Also the guides on our tour to Pompei and Naples were horrible-They spoke English poorly and we got very little out of them -it’s a shame because we may not be back here again and there was a lot to learn -also the limoncello Factory tour was 5 minutes of learning about limoncello and the rest was the owner who marketing his products- In addition our boat tour which highlighted the Blue Grato-should have taken place when the tide was low enough for us to see it-I realize you don’t control the tides but it is well known when low and high tide takes place- Also the boat was not fully equipped for snorkeling and had some but not enough portable floating devices for swimming.

Hotel Review

Hotel Palazzo Murat

Positano

A beautiful hotel. Pool had a great view , breakfast was delicious and the staff was very eager to help.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Always friendly and eager to help

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Review

Limoncello Experience & Tasting

Italy

Not much to it. Finished in a short amount of time and then was brought into the store to buy products

Quality of Experience

Our trip guide Alberto was great. He was interactive in both putting the trip together and identifying lodging and side trips which matched our interests and life style . Not only accommodations but side trips to wineries, points of interest
such as Pompey ,Vesuvius, and Mount Etna, Organic winery's.
Our driver would be waiting in a black ,clean late model car each morning to wisk us to our destination for the day.
he insured that the local guides understood our likes and dislikes!This was our second with KimKim and both times they exceeded our expectations!

We had a wonderful trip thanks to Alberto! We enjoyed all the activities he planned for us, especially the private tours in Florence and Rome and the amazing boating excursion in the Amalfi coast. We also had a magical day in Tivoli visiting the Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este. All our travel, including private transfers and high-speed trains, was well-planned and went off without a hitch, and the hotels he chose for us were excellent. We especially loved the Glance hotel in Florence, with a rooftop pool and amazing views of the Duomo and the city, and the Hotel Manfredi, with its lovely rooms and attentive staff (particularly Delalia, who enthusiastically helped us with sightseeing tips and great restaurant reservations) located on one of the prettiest streets in Rome walking distance to the Spanish Steps and the Villa Borghese. As a special treat, Alberto also arranged for a unique dinner for us at Baja Roma, a restaurant on a docked boat on the Tiber, which served delicious contemporary Italian food in a pretty setting complete with a gorgeous sunset over the river. I could go on and on about the high quality of the talented tour guides, especially Giulia and Chiara, who brought Italian history to life in Tivoli, the Colosseum and Forum, and Fabio and Caterina who highlighted the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery and Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, not to mention the early morning tour of the absolutely beautiful Sistine Chapel at the Vatican museum. We also enjoyed an exquisite afternoon visiting a family vineyard in the hills of the Amalfi coast, including a private tour and delicious lunch accompanied by their many wines. In sum. Alberto did a magnificent job and our trip was glorious!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Glance

Firenze

Beautiful hotel with rooftop pool and amazing views of the city! Lovely breakfast and attentive staff. Great restaurant recommendations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right by the Duomo.

Staff

Very friendly and great recommendations for restaurants.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Manfredi

Rome

Lovely rooms and great location. Super attentive staff.

Authenticity & Character

Lovely and comfortable rooms, beautiful decor.

Location

Great location near Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese.

Staff

Very attentive and helpful. Delilia (unsure of spelling) was the best and gave us great recommendations for restaurants and sightseeing. My son left his phone in a taxi and she was able to track it down for us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was pretty and clean.

Hotel Panorama

Maiori

Nice hotel with a beautiful beach view. Very helpful staff, who even found tennis lessons for my son which was absolutely wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Very welcoming and helpful staff.

Location

Right in center of Maiori and beautiful view.

Staff

All staff very helpful and attentive.?

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room and bathroom were clean and bright, with nice balcony that afforded a wonderful view.

Activity Reviews

Galleria degli Uffizi private guided tour

Florence

Great guided tour with lots of good information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fabio was pleasant and provided great information.

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Florence

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Galleria dell'Accademia Guided Tour

Florence

Wonderful tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Caterina was a wonderful guide and provided a lot of great information! We enjoyed meeting her.

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

Lovely tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giulia was a great guide and provided a wonderful tour!!

Transport

Day Trip to Tivoli

Italy

We had a wonderful day visiting Tivoli! We really enjoyed seeing Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este, and our guide Giulia was the best! She was very detail oriented and provided lots of great information.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giulia was a talented and extremely knowledgeable guide! It was also a pleasure to meet her.

Transport

Rome to Amalfi Coast with visit of Pompeii

Italy

Our visit to Pompeii was amazing! Our guide was also terrific!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was a pleasure meeting him.

Transport

Our driver was great and really went the extra mile. We asked if we could make a stop in Positano for the afternoon on the way to Maori and he was so helpful in arranging that and then picking us up. Seeing Positano made a huge difference in our trip. Going that way afforded us amazing views of the Amalfi coast and we were able to have a very pleasant lunch in Positano and walk around.

Wine Tasting and Lunch in Amalfi Coast

Italy

We loved this tour of the vineyards and the delicious lunch! The wines were also terrific. Our host was so welcoming, and it was a pleasure to meet him and his family.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day boat tour in Amalfi Coast

Italy

Seeing Amalfi from the water was just an incredible experience. Our guides pointed out the highlights of the Amalfi coast, including where various celebrities, writers, and artists had lived. They took us to a cave that we were able to swim in, and it was just magical. This was perhaps one of our favorite experience of our whole trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early Access Tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

Rome

Skipping the line to the museum was the best. We greatly enjoyed the tour and the Sistine Chapel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide that we got seemed a little bit rushed. Also, as noted above the tour was only of the museum, and the guide did not provide much information about how to get into Saint Peter’s itself.

Transport

Private walking tour of Florence was amazing. We would not have had the same experience if we walked the city on our own. A private tour was great because we could chat and get to know our guide.

Our favorite driver/guide was Luciana out of Siena. She helped us plan our day when the private tour was cancelled in Florence and the time was changed. We truly relaxed in Siena and felt very safe. Rome and the Amalfi coast plus Florence were memorable as well

I truly feel like we were able to see more and do more at a more personalized level due to Kimkim! This will transform your trip!

Hotel Review

Hotel Palazzo Ravizza

Siena

The staff was super helpful!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wine Tasting in Montalcino

Italy

Such a cool experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine & Food Experience in the Tuscan Countryside

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

Our guide was amazing! So much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the most expensive trip I ever took. The places visited and events chosen were amazing. Alberto was very helpful and picked fantastic hotels and perfect locations in each city. Our guides and drivers were excellent. I especially was thrilled with our stay in Ortigia, the hotel and its picturesque seaside view was ideal. I would have given the trip 5 stars but there were two glitches that affected the trip. One was that a wine tasting was scheduled on a day that the vineyard was closed. On our way to Etna, our driver tried to communicate that the vineyard was not open on Sundays. So we changed directions and headed to Catania. This caused us to lose value time for seeing and doing things in Sicily. On our last morning, we were expecting a 5 A.M. pickup to take us to the Catania airport for a 8:20 A.M. flight. Our driver was late so we called his number and determined we needed to ask the hotel concierge to call a taxi for us. A taxi came and got us to the airport in plenty of time. I had to pay the driver but was reimbursed by Kimkim.

Activity Reviews

Fiat 500 Tour

Italy

The guide was extremely pleasant and knew how to make his clients feel important. The car was adorable and the drive was thrilling.

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of Rome with Tommaso. He was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. He had a delightful personality. We were shown many fascinating sites including a lot of churches as we requested. Tommaso supplied us with information as we walked and answered questions we had for him. We even went to a popular Roman Caffe shop and enjoyed a delicious espresso with him. We give Tommaso an A+.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Napoli

Naples

I didn't see our walking and guided tour of Pompeii listed in this section regarding tours but I am commenting on it. Seeing Pompeii was fascinating. Our guide Paola, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us valuable information concerning Pompeii. She was very personable and well informed. It was a pleasure having her guide us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alberto was so professional, responsive, and listened to our interests regarding our visit to Italy. Things were planned to perfection, and when little things occurred that were out of his control, he immediately helped to resolve the situation(s).

My mom and I had the absolute BEST time! We kept saying throughout the trip how amazing everything Alberto arranged for us was! I gave him a vague idea of what we wanted and some feedback and he created the perfect trip. Our personal tour guide, Pedro, in Florence was great! We learned so much and had a nice stroll through the city. The hotel in Florence was the perfect location. Right on a less busy square with a rooftop terrace with wine and snackes. The winery in Chianti was magical. It's like it's own little village. There is one restaurant on the property and a wine bar that has food as well. We did tour into the cellars and then had a four course meal paired with wines. It was amazing. We think our favorite was the wine experience on the Amalfi coast at Le Vigne di Raito. The owner was so lovely and inspiring! It was really cool to see the workings of the small vineyard after being at the large winery. The drivers were all phenomenal and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of and knew where we were going.
Alberto stayed in touch with us throughout the trip. I had so much confidence that he would be able to help us if we had any issues.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Palazzo Guadagni

Florence

Amazing location with extremely kind staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Castello di Fonterutoli

Fonterutoli, Siena

Beautiful remote location! Perfect for a relaxing few days. The staff at the onsite restaurant and wine bar were so kind! They made us feel so welcomed!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Floridiana

Amalfi

The location of this hotel is right in the heart of Amalfi! It was perfect. It was a little chilly while we are there but there is a beautiful rooftop where guests can relax. The staff was so kind and the breakfast was in this charming room with great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Walking Tour of Florence

Florence

Pedro was so great! He was extremely knowledgeable. I am so happy Alberto suggested this. It was a very cool way to see the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just walked down the steps of our hotel and he was there!

Wine & Food Experience in the Tuscan Countryside

Italy

The cellar was amazing! Unlike anything I have ever seen. The food pairing at the Osteria was delicious. I was expecting a light lunch, not a four course meal with wine pairings! It was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine Tasting and Lunch in Amalfi Coast

Italy

This was our favorite experience! It was just the two of us and the small staff on the vineyard. The owner cooked us a delicious meal and her guide was knowledgeable. The views were beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport