Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Valeria and Lucrezia,

As our incredible journey comes to an end, I’m struggling to find words big enough to express what this trip has meant to all six of us.

What you created for us was not simply an itinerary or a vacation. It was a truly unforgettable experience that we will carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Every place we visited, every experience, every thoughtful detail, and every wonderful person we met along the way made this journey feel extraordinary.

We laughed, celebrated, learned, explored, ate far too much amazing food, and shared moments together that we will be talking about for years to come. There are memories from this trip that I know will stay with each of us forever.

Every single person you connected us with was exceptional. Our guides were absolutely incredible. Their knowledge, passion, and ability to bring Italy to life for us was simply mind blowing. Beatrice also deserves a very special mention. She was beyond helpful, responsive, and caring whenever we needed her, and knowing she was there for us gave us such peace of mind throughout the trip.

Planning a trip for six people with different interests and expectations is no small task, yet you somehow turned it all into one seamless and beautiful adventure. We are so grateful for the care, thought, and attention that went into every part of this experience.

Our hearts are incredibly full.

We came to Italy hoping for a wonderful vacation. We left with something so much greater: memories, stories, laughter, friendships, and a deeper love for this beautiful country that none of us will ever forget.

Thank you, from all six of us, for giving us the trip of a lifetime. What you created for us was truly remarkable, and we will always remember the people behind the scenes who made it so special.

With enormous gratitude and very full hearts, ❤️
Deneen and the entire group 🇮🇹

Activity Reviews

Private golf cart tour

Italy

This was such a great way to experience Rome, especially when you only have a short amount of time. Our guide, Marco, was so sweet, knowledgeable, and made the experience really enjoyable. He showed us so many of Rome’s highlights and gave us a wonderful introduction to the city. Since our time in Rome was limited, the golf cart tour allowed us to see so much more than we ever could have on our own. A fun, relaxing, and memorable way to see this incredible city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican at night: Private tour

Rome

This was such a special way to end our holiday in Italy. Our guide, Deborah, had an incredible wealth of knowledge, and the tour was extraordinarily rich in history, art, and detail. There was honestly so much to take in that at times we felt we could barely absorb everything she was sharing, especially at the end of such a full journey, but we were in complete awe. Our only disappointment was that we hadn’t realized we should arrive earlier if we wanted time to visit the Sistine Chapel, so unfortunately we missed that experience. We wish we had known in advance. That said, the tour itself was absolutely spectacular. Seeing the Vatican in the evening made it feel even more special, and Deborah made the experience truly memorable. A beautiful and unforgettable way to end our Italian adventure.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lemon Grove- Mozzarella Farm in Sorrento area

Italy

Such a fun and memorable experience! The family made the entire day so special. They were funny, warm, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. We learned so much, including some wonderful cooking tips that we’ll take home with us and treasure for years to come. It felt personal, authentic, and full of laughter from beginning to end. An absolutely amazing experience and one of the highlights of our time in Sorrento!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Chianti wine tour with cooking class and lunch

Italy

This was truly one of our favorite days of the entire trip. Spending time with the family and being welcomed into their world made the experience feel incredibly personal and special. Learning to make authentic pasta together was so much fun and something we will always remember. The food, wine, setting, and hospitality were all wonderful, but it was the warmth of the people that made the day unforgettable. Our driver was also exceptional. He was warm, accommodating, and such a pleasure to spend time with, making an already amazing day even more enjoyable. This was so much more than a cooking class or wine tour. It felt like a genuine taste of Italian life, and it is a memory we will treasure for years to come. Absolutely five stars!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day visit to Siena and San Gimignano - guide in Siena included

Italy

This was an incredible and very full day. Our guide in Siena was simply remarkable, and her knowledge was extraordinary. The winery lunch was another wonderful highlight and made the day even more special. There was so much to see, learn, and experience that we only wished we had more time. If our schedule had allowed, two days would have been even better so we could slow down and really soak it all in. Our driver was also incredibly kind and accommodating when one of our friends became ill, which we appreciated more than we can say. A truly memorable experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private boat tour to Capri

Italy

One of the highlights of our trip! The boat tour to Capri was absolutely beautiful and such a special experience for the six of us. The scenery was breathtaking, the day felt relaxed and personal, and our captain and crew were wonderful. Truly unforgettable and absolutely five stars.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, we had a very good trip to Sardinia and came home with some wonderful memories. The basic itinerary was well planned, and there were several highlights that we truly enjoyed.

Our first hotel was excellent, and San Pantaleo was probably our favorite town of the entire trip. We absolutely loved it and would happily return. The sailboat excursion was also very enjoyable and a beautiful way to experience the coastline. Our only disappointment was that the captain spoke no English, so we missed having any commentary about where we were going, what we were seeing, or the history of the area. That would have added a great deal to the experience.

The cooking class was another highlight and was very well done.

The drive to Santa Maria Navarrese was beautiful, but it was much farther than we would have preferred. Unfortunately, the Lanthia Resort was the biggest hotel disappointment of the trip. The staff was very good and the food was excellent, but our room was not at all what we expected. There was an enormous green bathtub in the middle of the room, something we had not anticipated from the photos we had seen beforehand. When I later looked again at the hotel website, I still did not feel the photos adequately conveyed what the room was actually like. The hotel had no alternative room available, so we could not move.

Accessibility was also an issue. Reaching our room required navigating cobblestones and stone steps with our luggage, and there were no porters available to help. At our ages, this made arrival and departure unnecessarily difficult.

The drive from Santa Maria Navarrese to Alghero was again quite long—longer than we would have chosen for this trip. Once we arrived, however, we loved Alghero. It was a delightful town, and our hotel there was wonderful.

The one experience that I feel was a serious mistake in the planning was Neptune’s Cave. I had provided our ages and explained that my husband is dealing with cancer, so I was very surprised that this excursion was recommended for us. Reaching the cave involved 654 steps down and, of course, 654 steps back up. Inside the cave, the walking surfaces were also quite slippery. We did complete it, but I felt it was inappropriate for us and potentially unsafe. Had we been given an accurate description of the physical demands beforehand, we absolutely would not have chosen this excursion.

Despite those issues, we really enjoyed Sardinia and would definitely visit again. If I were planning the trip over, I would keep much of the northern portion of the itinerary but eliminate the long drive south to Santa Maria Navarrese. I would have preferred to stay in northern Sardinia and find a comparable catamaran or boating experience there. That would have reduced the amount of driving considerably and made the trip feel more relaxed.

There was a great deal that was done very well, and we are grateful for the experiences we had. I think the biggest opportunity for improvement would be to consider not only what is interesting to see, but also the distances involved and whether particular hotels and activities are appropriate for the travelers’ age, mobility, and circumstances.

Hotel Reviews

Villa Las Tronas

Cagliari

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lanthia Resort

Santa Maria Navarrese

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Suera San Pantaleo

Olbia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Splendide Royal - The Leading Hotels of the World

Roma

Great

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Italy -Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Day at Sea: Sailing Experience in the Gulf of Orosei

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Authentic Sardinian Cooking: Pasta & Seadas

Olbia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Boat Day to the Protected Marina Reserve of Tavolara

Italy

it would’ve been helpful if the boat captain had spoken English

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the trip of a lifetime!
Luca was great to work with in planning this trip. He was always responsive and friendly and very helpful in making suggestions and answering questions. It was so convenient to have everything pre-booked and everything worked and timed out perfectly - from train tickets to car service to hotel check ins to private tours.
The hotels were all great and conveniently located to all we planned to do. We would like to give a special shout out to the front desk staff at the Charme Spagna Boutique in Rome and the rooftop bartender/housekeeper at Hotel Sorrento City in Sorrento - and to our favorite concierge, Leonardo, at Hotel Davanzati in Florence, who was incredibly friendly and helpful. All of the tours were fantastic. We definitely recommend visiting the coliseum and the Roman Ruins, and we especially enjoyed the tour guides who led us through Accademia Gallery in Florence and the walking tour/St. Mark’s Church/Doge’s Palace tour in Venice.
The one thing that would have made this trip even better is if the Kim Kim app was more functional by listing times and details and transfer information. It would be helpful to use the app rather than having to refer to the web browser for each part of the trip.
We will absolutely use Kim Kim again to plan our next overseas adventure!

We just got back from our honeymoon in Italy and had an amazing time! Catarina, Anna, and Roberta from the travel agency were amazing to work with! Catarina helped with the up front planning and found us some amazing experiences across the country we never would have found on our own. Anna took care of all of the logistics and made sure we knew about any last minute changes; it was so nice to have the tickets for everything all in one spot. Roberta met us at the airport and helped us while we were in Italy with the names of people we were meeting and answered any last minute questions that came up. This team made the trip seamless and we couldn’t have planned it better, we are so thankful!

Activity Reviews

Private cooking class in Pienza

Italy

This was a blast and we’d do it again in a heartbeat!!

Private bike tour in Tuscany Countryside

Italy

Absolute amazing!!! This was our favorite day with the bike ride and then the amazing lunch and winery tour!

Great job by Andrea. Excellent advice and guidance; terrific guides; attentive service and responsiveness during our trip.

With the exception of the 2nd boat excursion, everything was seamless! All drivers and tour guides were very good, and knowledgeable in their areas! Our driver, Francesco Scervino, however, was absolutely outstanding!! He went over and beyond, and always made sure we were comfortable, answered questions, and even helped connect us with a relative in a small town in Italy!! All tours were perfect! Thank you! We thoroughly enjoyed Italy!!

We had an absolutely fabulous experience! I’ll admit, I was a little nervous going into the trip because I had never used this company before, and when you’re traveling to another country and relying on someone else to coordinate so many details, you’re putting a lot of trust in them. Those nerves disappeared very quickly. Everything was so thoroughly planned, and every detail was executed perfectly. From start to finish, we truly didn’t have to worry about a thing.

One of the things I appreciated most was how seamless all of our transportation and meeting arrangements were. We never had to wonder where we were supposed to go or who was picking us up. Most of the time, our driver or guide was waiting at the meeting location with a sign with my name on it, which made everything incredibly easy. Everyone was on time and exactly where they said they would be.

Each excursion that was planned for us was something we genuinely enjoyed. The only exception was the Venetian rowing lesson—we would have preferred to simply enjoy a ride rather than row ourselves—but that was such a small part of an otherwise incredible itinerary.

There was only one instance when I couldn’t locate our pickup person, and as soon as I reached out, the response was immediate. We found each other right away, which gave me even more confidence knowing that if something did come up, help was readily available.

My only reason for giving our local specialist a slightly lower rating was because when I first started planning the trip, I had an amazing specialist who was incredibly attentive and helpful. She apparently left, and I was reassigned to someone else. While everything still came together beautifully, my new specialist wasn’t quite as attentive and sometimes came across a little short in her communication. That may simply have been a cultural or communication-style difference, but there was a noticeable difference from the experience I had with my original specialist.

Overall, I truly could not be happier with our trip. The entire experience was incredibly smooth, well organized, and allowed us to simply enjoy ourselves without worrying about the details. Any hesitation I had about using a company I had never worked with before was completely gone by the end of the trip. It was an amazing experience, and I would do it again a thousand times over!

Kimkim was great and getting a trip organized in such a short period of time. We went to Milan Italy and then took day trips via public transportation throughout the week. The team was responsive to all concerns that we had during our trip. Anita was great and helping us plan our day trips and getting excursion scheduled. My only complaint is the hotel that was chosen was so far from everything else that we did. I felt like we spent so much time traveling back-and-forth on trams and trolleys and trains to get to where we needed to go when we could’ve been closer to the city center. There were no restaurants or shopping nearby our hotel. If we had been closer to the city center, it would’ve made for a much more enjoyable trip.

While the process was quite simple, and the local specialist appeared to be very knowledgeable having had time to sit and reflect there are many things that were in retrospect quite frustrating. First I am not sure how a tour of the Ufitzi in Florence was not recommended as part of our itinerary. We spent four days in Florence, and it for sure should have been one of them. Second we were talked out of staying in Positano for New Years Eve because nothing would be open, only to discover they host a huge New Years Eve beach party so that information was simply false, and Positano remains one of the best two hour segments we had in our two weeks in Italy. Three days there would have been the best possible end to our adventure. Instead we spent New Years Eve enclosed in a restaurant with no views, and a ridiculously expensive pre-fix menu half of which my older daughter did not eat-which I was told was not alterable while tables around us had altered options. In my past experiences with Kim Kim the local specialist has had so much insight and has connected us with local guides who were simply amazing. Our Florence City Guide was amazing, as was our Coliseum guide-both so knowledgeable and passionate about the places we were seeing. Our Rome sunset tour guide was a nightmare-we did not get to go into the Parthenon which was supposed to be included, and when asked for a recommendation for food for my children who needed a snack she said she was on a diet and did not really eat out. It was truly unbelievable. I hope one day to go back to Italy, but this was not the magical trip we had imagined.

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo delle Grazie

Sorrento

Super cute, just off the main square. Breakfast was nice, if not as fresh as we normally see in Europe and staff was so sweet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dei Mellini

Rome

This hotel is fine. The staff was friendly. The breakfast was okay, but nothing special. We ended up in two connecting rooms as opposed to the family suite we had booked. It was sort of close to everything which meant really it was close to nothing. Everything was a 20 plus minute walk away.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Location was AMAZING, and the room was decent sized with plenty of space for both of my daughters. It made all of Florence walkable but was in a quiet area.

Authenticity & Character

They provided a book about the Medici family my 16 year old was enchanted by. It had so many fun facts!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ca' dei Proverbi Suites

Venice

This was an amazing space in a fantastic location. Highly recommend for families who can use a little more living space. The stairs would not be great for young children, but school age and up would be a great fit!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

So helpful, and walked us over the first night so we would not get lost. They were great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free Day on the Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

This was not an activity-unclear why it is here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This would be us.

Private Evening Rome Walking Tour

Rome

This was TERRIBLE. The guide was awful and we did not get to enter the Parthenon as advertised because of some change of rule in guides being allowed in (I am still unclear on why a time change was not made to allow the tour to be what we were supposed to be having.) Additionally, when asked for a good place to grab a snack during the three hour walking tour the guide spent 10 minutes talking about her diet, and patting her stomach. When asked again she indicated she was not sure. We ended up a terrible tourist cafe which given we paid a guide was RIDICULOUS. The guide makes all the difference in these types of tours, and this was a failure of the travel agency.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour-transport was feet.

Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere Tour

Rome

This was a bit of disaster. It became a tour of 1000 churches when we were really interested in the Jewish History of Rome. The synagogue was not included, and at one point in the Trastevere we walked in to tour a church while a funeral was occurring. We did see some amazing theater ruins, and some gorgeous, stained class as well as very old churches with wells in the front. Our afternoon ended with kosher pizza which was delightful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour-transport was feet.

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

Positano was AMAZING. I wish our lunch restaurant had an ocean view, but the food was very good. The guide was funny, and knowledgeable and the windy roads were well navigated.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Italy

Our guide was very good, but this was a bit of a nightmare. It was SOOOO crowded, and the guide was in a bit of a hurry. My teens would have liked to spend more time looking at the animal sculptures and she kind of rushed them through to walk through endless rooms of tapestries they had no interest in. The Sistine chapel was shoulder to shoulder-and not quiet, despite the photography prohibition people were taking photos on their phones and in general it just ruined the awe. Nothing however could ruin the awe of the basilica and Michelangelo's pieta.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a walking tour-transport was your feet.

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

This tour, which included the entire area outside the coliseum was amazing. The guide knew all the stories, and to stand in the places where the history occurred while hearing the history was what I came to Rome for. The coliseum was one of the few things that really cannot be oversold. The size, the architecture it was surreal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking tour-transport is your feet.

Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class

Florence

This was a very good experience, because the day we went the market was closed sadly we did not get the central food market experience. I wish we had known that, as we might have been able to go a different day.

Quality of Experience

Food

The ravioli and the sauce, it was all amazing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The young women leading

Transport

This category is not applicable.

Private Walking Tour of Florence | City Highlights with David & Duomo

Italy

AMAZING. Our guide was the best we had in Italy-he was funny, engaging and picked up very quickly on what was of interest to my 16 and 21 year old. His love for the city and flexibility to what was of interest to use was an amazing combination. I wish Marco had been out guide for all of Italy!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is a walking tour-so transport is your feet.

Venice Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica Access

Italy

This was very nice. Would have been better if it had included a tour of the palace as well as the church. It was a lot of you should come back here and do x-which given we were in Venice for two days was not great. However, the guide was very kind, and made great restaurant recommendations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was a little challenging to find out guide, but once we located her it was very good.

Transport

This is a walking tour. So transport was your feet.

Our Italy trip was an amazing experience from start to finish! Everything was well organized, and the itinerary made traveling between the different cities easy and enjoyable. We were able to experience so much without feeling overwhelmed.

Anita was very helpful throughout the planning process and made sure everything was arranged for us. The accommodations, transportation, tours, and activities all came together smoothly. We especially loved getting to experience the history, culture, beautiful scenery, and the Amalfi Coast.

Overall, there really isn’t much I would change or complain about. It was a wonderful and memorable trip, and I would definitely recommend Kimkim to anyone planning a trip to Italy.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Tirrenia

Sorrento

Rivoli Boutique Hotel

Florence

Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

Fiumicino

Hotel Monte Cenci

Rome

Activity Reviews

Get Inside the Colosseum with Arena Access

Italy

A Food Lover’s Rome: Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere

Rome

Italy -Important Trip Information: Please Review Before Departure

Italy

The Pearl of the Mediterranean: A Day on Capri Island & Anacapri

Italy

Discover the Vatican: From the Museums to the Sistine Chapel

Italy

The Ligurian Excursion: A Full-Day Escape to Cinque Terre

Florence

Sailing the Amalfi Coast: From Sorrento to Amalfi & Positano

Italy

We had a great experience on our trip to Italy organized by KimKim. Alex create an awesome itinerary, allowing our family with two kids to find a bit of a balance that allowed the kids to have fun on a scavenger hunt, and making (and of course, eating) gelato, while allowing the parents an opportunity to soak in the history and culture (museum/churches/etc.). Giovanni, our guide for the Colosseum and Roman Forum, was a stand out - he was personable and highly engaging, with lots of funny and exciting stories, providing lots of historical, cultural and personal snippets that were delightful, making the tour continuously interesting. I thought the choice of the time of the tours were mostly right (early morning), although we had to make a request to shift one tour to an earlier time to avoid the hot afternoon. We had a great transfer to the airport in Florence, but wished that the one from the airport in Rome was a bit more personable (and on-time).

Everything went smoothly - all organized accommodation, transfers, and activities happened on time without a hitch. Overall, a wonderful adventure that hit the right spot for the family.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Melanie R. and the incredible job she did planning our family’s summer vacation to Italy. From our very first conversations, Melanie took the time to truly understand our family, our travel preferences, and what we wanted from this vacation. Because we were traveling with young children, it was especially important to us to experience the history, culture, and amazing food of Italy while also making the trip fun and memorable for our kids. Melanie absolutely delivered.

Throughout the planning process, Melanie communicated with me regularly to make sure every detail was right. She took care of virtually everything—hotels, private drivers, exceptional tour guides, activities, restaurant recommendations, transportation, and all the logistics in between. What really stood out was how thoughtfully everything was selected. This never felt like a generic itinerary; it felt like a trip designed specifically for our family.

Our vacation began in Venice, where Melanie arranged a wonderful walking tour followed by a gondola ride through the canals. Our guide, Giovanni, was amazing. Both of our children absolutely adored him, and he became one of the most memorable parts of the entire vacation for them. We explored this beautiful city, experienced Venice from the canals, and enjoyed some incredible local food. It was a fantastic start to our trip.

From Venice, we traveled to Naples, which had been on my bucket list for a long time. Some of our favorite experiences of the entire vacation happened during this part of the trip.

One of the highlights was visiting a local farm near Sorrento, where our family participated in a mozzarella-making class. The owners of the farm then prepared an incredible farm-to-table lunch for us using local ingredients. Sitting together as a family, enjoying an amazing homemade meal while overlooking the farm, was one of those special experiences that we will remember for years.

We also did a local pizza and gelato-making class, which was another huge hit with the entire family. Not only was it a lot of fun, but we ended up having the best pizza of our entire trip—and the gelato was amazing too! We also visited Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii, giving our children the opportunity to experience history firsthand in a way that was exciting and memorable.

We finished our vacation in Rome, where Melanie continued to strike the perfect balance between history and experiences that our children would enjoy. We had a private tour of the Colosseum, followed by a gladiator school experience that the kids absolutely loved. We also visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel with another excellent private guide who made the experience both interesting and enjoyable for our family.

I wish I had the names of every guide and driver we had along the way so I could recognize each of them personally. Without exception, our guides and drivers were amazing. They were professional, knowledgeable, personable, and wonderful with our children. That consistency throughout a multi-city trip says a lot about Melanie and the quality of the people and vendors she works with. She made sure we were in excellent hands everywhere we went.

Just as importantly, Melanie’s service didn’t stop once our vacation began. She stayed in touch with us throughout the trip to make sure everything was going smoothly and that we were being well taken care of. Traveling internationally with children can be stressful, and having Melanie checking in and knowing she was there if we needed anything gave us tremendous peace of mind.

Looking back, what made this vacation so special was the combination of incredible destinations and experiences with how smoothly everything came together. Melanie handled the details and logistics so that we could simply enjoy Italy, spend time together, and make memories as a family.

I highly recommend Melanie R., especially to families traveling with children. She understands that a great family vacation needs to be enjoyable for the adults while also keeping the children engaged and excited, and she did an exceptional job creating that balance for us.

This was truly an amazing family vacation, and Melanie deserves so much of the credit for making it happen. We are already looking forward to working with her again to plan our next vacation to this region.

Thank you, Melanie, for taking such wonderful care of our family and for giving us a vacation we will remember for a lifetime!

Hotel Review

Palazzo Nainer

Roma

Wonderful Stay at Palazzo Nainer – Excellent Service and Location We had a wonderful stay at Palazzo Nainer during our family vacation in Italy and would highly recommend this hotel. The service was excellent throughout our stay. The staff was friendly, welcoming, attentive, and made us feel very well taken care of. The hotel itself was extremely clean and well maintained, which made our stay very comfortable. One of the highlights was the breakfast. The quality and taste of the food were excellent, with a great selection each morning, and the service was equally impressive. It was a wonderful way to start each day before heading out to explore Rome. The location was also ideal. We found it very convenient for sightseeing, dining, and experiencing the city, while still providing a comfortable place to return to after a full day of activities. Overall, we had an excellent experience at Palazzo Nainer. Between the outstanding service, cleanliness, delicious breakfast, and fantastic location, it was a great choice for our family’s stay in Rome. We would absolutely stay here again and highly recommend Palazzo Nainer to anyone visiting Rome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Colosseum tour and Gladiator experience

Rome

The Perfect Rome Experience for a Family with Kids! Our private Colosseum tour followed by Gladiator School was one of the most fun and memorable experiences of our family vacation in Italy. If you are visiting Rome with children, we highly recommend combining these two activities! Our Colosseum tour was excellent. Having a knowledgeable private guide made a huge difference, especially while traveling with kids. Our guide brought the history of the Colosseum and ancient Rome to life and helped us understand what it would have been like during the time of the gladiators. Seeing such an iconic historical site in person was incredible for our entire family. Following the Colosseum with Gladiator School was the perfect choice. After learning about gladiators and seeing where they actually fought, our kids had the opportunity to experience a little of that history themselves. They had an absolute blast! It was fun, interactive, and a great change of pace after sightseeing. What we loved most was how well the two experiences complemented each other. The Colosseum tour gave our children the history and context, while Gladiator School turned what they had just learned into a hands-on experience they could participate in and enjoy. For families traveling to Rome with children, this is a fantastic combination. It was educational without feeling like a history lesson, active and entertaining for the kids, and equally enjoyable for the adults. One of our favorite family experiences in Rome and a wonderful way to make ancient Roman history come alive for our children!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Family Vatican & Sistine Chapel Visit

Rome

An Amazing Vatican and Sistine Chapel Experience with an Excellent Guide Our visit to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel was one of the highlights of our time in Rome and a truly memorable experience for our entire family. Our private guide was excellent—extremely knowledgeable, professional, personable, and engaging. There is so much history, art, and significance throughout the Vatican that it could easily feel overwhelming, but our guide did a wonderful job explaining everything in a way that was interesting and easy to understand. We were traveling with children, and we especially appreciated the guide's ability to keep the experience enjoyable and engaging for the whole family. Seeing the Vatican's incredible art, architecture, and history in person was remarkable, and entering the Sistine Chapel was an unforgettable experience. Having such a knowledgeable guide added so much context to what we were seeing and allowed us to appreciate the experience on a much deeper level. We highly recommend this tour, particularly for families visiting Rome. Having an excellent private guide made a tremendous difference and turned what could have simply been a sightseeing visit into a meaningful and memorable experience. A must-do while in Rome and an experience our family will remember for years to come!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mozzarella tour and tasting

Italy

An Unforgettable Farm Experience in Sorrento This was easily one of the most memorable days of our entire family vacation in Italy. Combining a visit to the incredible ruins of Pompeii with an authentic farm experience near Sorrento was the perfect combination of history, culture, food, and family fun. We visited a beautiful local farm near Sorrento, and this ended up being one of our family's favorite experiences of the entire trip. We participated in a hands-on mozzarella-making class, which was both fun and educational. Our children especially enjoyed being involved in the process, and it gave all of us a much greater appreciation for how fresh mozzarella is traditionally made. The highlight, however, may have been the incredible farm-to-table lunch. The owners prepared a wonderful meal for us using fresh, local ingredients, and everything was absolutely delicious. Sitting together as a family, enjoying an authentic homemade Italian meal while overlooking the beautiful farm was one of those experiences that you simply don't forget. What made the visit especially memorable was how genuine and personal the entire experience felt. Rather than simply visiting another tourist attraction, we had an opportunity to experience a little piece of local Italian life, meet the people behind the food, learn something new together, and enjoy an amazing meal in a beautiful setting. For families traveling with children, we highly recommend this experience. The combination of exploring Pompeii, making fresh mozzarella, visiting the farm, and enjoying a delicious farm-to-table meal made for an exceptional day. One of the absolute highlights of our trip to Italy and a wonderful family memory that we will cherish for years to come!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Ruins of Pompeii & stop for lunch

Italy

An Incredible Day at Pompeii and an Unforgettable Farm Experience in Sorrento This was easily one of the most memorable days of our entire family vacation in Italy. Combining a visit to the incredible ruins of Pompeii with an authentic farm experience near Sorrento was the perfect combination of history, culture, food, and family fun. Our visit to Pompeii was fascinating. Walking through the ancient ruins and seeing firsthand how people lived nearly 2,000 years ago was an incredible experience for both the adults and our children. It brought history to life in a way that simply cannot be experienced through books or pictures. After Pompeii, we visited a beautiful local farm near Sorrento, and this ended up being one of our family's favorite experiences of the entire trip. We participated in a hands-on mozzarella-making class, which was both fun and educational. Our children especially enjoyed being involved in the process, and it gave all of us a much greater appreciation for how fresh mozzarella is traditionally made. The highlight, however, may have been the incredible farm-to-table lunch. The owners prepared a wonderful meal for us using fresh, local ingredients, and everything was absolutely delicious. Sitting together as a family, enjoying an authentic homemade Italian meal while overlooking the beautiful farm was one of those experiences that you simply don't forget. What made the visit especially memorable was how genuine and personal the entire experience felt. Rather than simply visiting another tourist attraction, we had an opportunity to experience a little piece of local Italian life, meet the people behind the food, learn something new together, and enjoy an amazing meal in a beautiful setting. For families traveling with children, we highly recommend this experience. The combination of exploring Pompeii, making fresh mozzarella, visiting the farm, and enjoying a delicious farm-to-table meal made for an exceptional day. One of the absolute highlights of our trip to Italy and a wonderful family memory that we will cherish for years to come!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Neapolitan Pizza Making Experience

Naples

One of Our Favorite Experiences in Naples — And the Best Pizza of Our Trip! Our pizza and gelato-making experience in Naples was one of the highlights of our entire family vacation in Italy. We were traveling with our children, and this was the perfect activity for the whole family—fun, interactive, educational, and, most importantly, absolutely delicious! The pizza-making experience was fantastic. We learned how to prepare authentic Neapolitan pizza and had a great time making our own pizzas from scratch. The experience was very hands-on, and the instructors made it enjoyable and engaging for both the adults and the kids. And the finished product was incredible! We ate a lot of pizza during our trip through Italy, but the pizza we made here was our favorite pizza of the entire vacation. There is something especially memorable about sitting down together and enjoying a delicious Neapolitan pizza that you just made yourself. The gelato-making experience was just as much fun. The kids especially enjoyed learning how gelato is made, and of course, getting to enjoy the finished product afterward was even better. The gelato was absolutely delicious! What we loved most was that this wasn't simply a meal—it was an experience our family could enjoy together. Our children were actively involved, everyone had fun, and we came away with a wonderful memory of our time in Naples. If you're visiting Naples, especially with children, we highly recommend this pizza and gelato-making experience. It was fun for the entire family, the food was amazing, and it gave us a chance to experience an important part of Neapolitan culture in a hands-on and memorable way. Definitely one of our favorite activities of the entire trip—and we are still talking about that pizza!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Venice Walking and Gondola Tour

Venice

An Unforgettable Introduction to Venice with Giovanni! Our private walking tour and gondola ride with Giovanni was one of the highlights of our family vacation in Italy and the perfect way to experience Venice for the first time. Giovanni was absolutely fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable about Venice, its history, culture, and local life, but what made the experience truly special was his personality and the way he connected with our entire family. We were traveling with two children, and both of our kids absolutely adored him. He kept them interested and entertained throughout the tour, and they were still talking about Giovanni afterward. He became one of the most memorable people they met during our entire trip to Italy! The walking portion of the tour gave us a wonderful introduction to Venice and helped us appreciate the city beyond simply seeing the major sights. Having a private guide made the experience much more personal and enjoyable, especially as a family with children. Following the walking tour with a gondola ride through the canals was the perfect way to finish the experience. Seeing Venice from the water after exploring it on foot gave us two completely different perspectives of this beautiful and unique city. Giovanni helped make our first experience in Venice truly special. He was knowledgeable, personable, engaging, and wonderful with our children—the kind of guide who can turn a great tour into a lasting family memory.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giovanni is the best. Highly recommend him. Our kids loved him! We all did.

Transport

Marianna took our visions for our dream Italian vacation and made them a reality. No detail was left out. Everything she promised, came through. I would highly recommend KimKim and Marianna! We are already looking at booking another vacation and Marianna will be the first person I reach out to!
Thank you for making our 35th Anniversary vacation become a reality!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dei Dragomanni

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel The Square Milano Duomo

Milan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH La Spezia

La Spezia

Amazing! I only wish there was a pool!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dei Mellini

Rome

Grand Hotel De La Ville

Sorrento

Rooms were clean and very nice. We wished the pool was open a bit later. Otherwise, I would stay here again. Staff was very friendly!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Basic Rome Tour with Pizza and Gelato by Electric Golf Cart

Rome

The golf cart tour is a must. I do wish we would have had more time to spend at the Colosseum .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica

Rome

This was amazing even though there were quite few people visiting that day and Rome was in record high temperatures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Essential Tour Of Venice

Venice

Our tour was for St Marks Basilica and the Doge's Palace and we were only able to do the Palace. That was very disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Bernina Express From Milan

Milan

This was unbelievable! A must do! We are planning a trip to Switzerland to see more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Como & Bellagio Day Tour From Milan

Milan

Top 3 experiences. Our Guide, Renzo was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour To Capri From Sorrento

Italy

Top 3 experiences of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour Τo Positano, Amalfi & Ravello From Sorrento

Italy

I wish we would have done the boat tour. We felt a bit rushed during this tour. Our guide was friendly and the area was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was planned flawlessly by Leslie at KimKim! Can’t say enough how incredible the trip was and how every place, guide, and tour were wonderful - - - even in 100 degree heat!

Venice:
Our guide Sara was so warm, informative and loved her City. We learned so much about the history, saw the basilica, and went on a gondola ride. So lovely. Our hotel was fabulous and we made friends with the staff.

Florence:
Our guide Marco was charming and knowledgeable. We did some wine tasting, visited sites and were again spoiled at our hotel.

Rome:
Once again our guide and hotel were memorable. Our guide did her best to help us be more comfortable in the extreme heat, while we learned about our host city. We visited the Collisium and the Vatican; both left us speechless in their beauty.

Amalfi Coast:
We had a full day boat ride. The Captain and Marta were the perfect hosts who love their professions! We were shown the Blue Grotto, Mt Vesuvius, Capri, and the Sorrento coastline. We swam in the sapphire blue water, had a delicious Italian lunch and learned about the locations history. Our hotel was on the water and we got to relax a couple days and even got to see the Solar Eclipse!

I’m really not able to do the trip enough justice. Every guide, tour, ride, etc. was on time and high quality. Each hotel had a great location and was 4 - 5 stars. The memories my kids, grandkids and friend made together will last a lifetime. Can’t thank Leslie enough for her careful planning, availability, and kindness.

We took a 30-day trip to Italy in May. Starting in Venice and ending in Catania. From the initial planning - more than 6 months in advance I knew we were in good hands with Marina. For one week, my husband and son traveled with us, but the remainder of the trip it was just me and our 3 girls. It was important to me that things were as seamless/safe as possible and I hoped to not stress about our exchanges/transfers/reservations. It was worth every penny having Marina and her team take care of us. I never felt alone - we had a couple hiccups and I just reached out to the team and they helped us or handled things for us.

We wanted the trip to focus on history and special outings for us and not just seeing crowded tourist sights. Marina really listened to what we wanted and suggested several things I would never have known about. The hotels were all lovely - amazing locations and exceeded our expectations. The app and daily notes and recommendations came in handy too.

There were several times the travel team arranged for little extras for our family - like a delicious birthday cake delivered to our hotel for our daughter’s 21st birthday.

Truly an experience we will remember forever.

Our favorites:
Capri and our private guide was worth the splurge!!
My favorite - the hotel in Agrigento and the location and apartment in Florence and the team being available to help when fun travel things come up - like train strikes.
Husband - wind surfing on Lake Garda and Venice
18 year old daughter - visiting churches in Venice
13 year old daughter- the food. All of the food and wind surfing
21 year old daughter - hiking around Lake Garda and the Agrigento hotel
23 years old son - Lake Garda and wandering around Venice

Thank you so much for all the attention and planning that went into our trip

Hotel Reviews

Habitat Boutique Hotel

Catania

Despite the construction on the street in front of the hotel - this hotel exceeded all of our expectations. The staff was wonderful and had the best recommendations. We loved our rooms too.

Authenticity & Character

Very unique hotel. Loved

Location

Great location for walking and felt so safe walking around late. We had a lot of fun in this area.

Staff

Everyone. Sooooo helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

So comfortable. We were at the end of a 30 day trip and felt at home

Hotel baglio della Luna

Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

The best stay of our trip. It felt like we were in our own little luxury villa. The staff went above and beyond. Dinner outdoors over looking the Valley of the Temples - we ate here every night. So special. At this point in our trip we needed to rest and recharge - it was perfect. Excellent recommendations from the staff. Only a small number of rooms so it felt like it was just the 4 sometimes

Authenticity & Character

The gardens - beautiful. So many places to sit, read, have a glass of wine

Location

This location - a little bit of heaven

Staff

Charming. Helpful. Kind. Everyone - from breakfast and check in to drinks in the bar and the staff who kept our rooms tidy

Cleanliness & Comfort

Attention to details - just lovely.

Hotel Politeama

Palermo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Thankful for Valet!

Staff

Helpful and calming. I was a bit anxious from driving - but they were very welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Small rooms, but comfortable!

Palazzo Caracciolo Napoli - MGallery

Naples

Just a lovely and beautiful hotel. Wonderful staff. Very helpful and great with recommendations - we chose to walk from the train station and that was not a wise decision. (Our travel agent suggested a private transfer - and we should have listened).

Authenticity & Character

It feels very special. Unique. The rooms were large and very nice.

Authenticity & Character

It feels very special. Unique. The rooms were large and very nice.

Location

You just have to be more aware of your surroundings and not go exploring in part of the area across from the hotel. Once the hotel gave us suggestions - we were fine!! And the taxi service they suggested was perfect

Location

You just have to be more aware of your surroundings and not go exploring in part of the area across from the hotel. Once the hotel gave us suggestions - we were fine!! And the taxi service they suggested was perfect

Staff

Very nice - great recommendations

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable. Rooms were quiet. So nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were very comfortable. Rooms were quiet. So nice.

Hotel della Torre Argentina

Rome

The rooms and breakfast were lovely. The location was great for all we wanted to do.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location was great - the bus stops right in front of the doors and that makes it difficult to get in and out sometimes.

Staff

The front desk staff were not as warm as all of the other places we stayed. The breakfast staff was lovely.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice rooms - we enjoyed and slept well

Del Guanto Apartment by Mamo Florence

Florence

We loved this apartment. The location was perfect for all the things we wanted to do and see. The rooftop patio was lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

The couch seemed to be missing pillows.

Hotel Lago di Garda Torbole

Torbole sul Garda

Hotel location is amazing. Breakfast delicious. The rooms needed refreshing - linens thin and the sheets had holes. Walls needed painting. Mold in shower - the hotel did fix this as soon as our travel agent let them know.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms felt very basic and cheap.

Authenticity & Character

The rooms felt very basic and cheap.

Location

Gorgeous. Gorgeous location.

Location

Gorgeous. Gorgeous location.

Staff

We let the front desk know we had a package coming and it was important - they refused delivery of it. It had $37 due upon receipt - we were not aware at the time. The hotel did not contact us while we were out on a hike. We had to get a private car to go pick up the package. We missed one of our planned activities and had to pay $150 for the private car. It was more the time we lost as a family together that bothered us. And that the hotel didn’t try to fix it. It was only $37 - we had 3 rooms for 4 nights. They were nice - just wish they had contacted us or paid for the package - which they had our credit card information- they could have handled it differently

Staff

We let the front desk know we had a package coming and it was important - they refused delivery of it. It had $37 due upon receipt - we were not aware at the time. The hotel did not contact us while we were out on a hike. We had to get a private car to go pick up the package. We missed one of our planned activities and had to pay $150 for the private car. It was more the time we lost as a family together that bothered us. And that the hotel didn’t try to fix it. It was only $37 - we had 3 rooms for 4 nights. They were nice - just wish they had contacted us or paid for the package - which they had our credit card information- they could have handled it differently

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was mold in our shower - the hotel did paint over it as soon as notified. The sheets were very thin and had multiple holes in them. The walls throughout the lodging part of the hotel were scratched and needed repair. It was clean - just seemed that no upkeep was happening once you got upstairs to the rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was mold in our shower - the hotel did paint over it as soon as notified. The sheets were very thin and had multiple holes in them. The walls throughout the lodging part of the hotel were scratched and needed repair. It was clean - just seemed that no upkeep was happening once you got upstairs to the rooms.

Hotel Olimpia

Venice

The staff was so lovely. The rooms were beautiful. We loved the location - not in the busy area and gave us a chance to wander. Breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

So cute. Unique.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Mt Etna: Volcano Hike & Lava Cave

Catania

Salvatore was an amazing tour guide! We had an excellent day. Mt Etna was wonderful. The wine tasting was ok.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Salvatore - so kind, interacted with everyone. Excellent information

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Salvatore - so kind, interacted with everyone. Excellent information

Transport

Transport

The Pearl of the Mediterranean: A Day on Capri Island & Anacapri

Italy

Our guide, Lucia, was the best. The day started out with a major glitch, but Lucia calmed us all down and set the perfect tone for the day. It was the best having our own guide - it was special. She asked us what was our goal - I said to see Capri but not with all the crowds - she delivered ! We felt like we hit everything. The cloud covered mountain top and chair lift was soooo cool. Her food recommendations were perfect We loved the knowledge and the history she shared with us. Perfect day. So nice to have the whole day handled - no checking ferry schedules/buying tickets/choosing where to eat. Wonderful

Quality of Experience

100% worth every penny. Lucia made it special. So nice to have everything taken care of

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was prompt - so nice to have it all arranged.

Transport

A Day Among Roman Castles & Medieval Hilltop Villages

Rome

Very cool to get out of the hustle and bustle of Rome. LOVED the wine tasting - we were the only ones there and the staff was incredible. We met the owners at the winery. The papal palace and grounds were very cool to see and the little town outside was lovely. We stopped for lunch on the way back to Rome. Great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We would have loved to hear a bit more about the history of things while he was driving but it was still great.

Transport

Discover the Vatican: From the Museums to the Sistine Chapel

Italy

This felt very rushed. And not a lot of information. She was very nice. It felt more like she was helping us short cut getting through. Unfortunately, we were there on a very busy day - not the guides fault.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very nice.

This was our second trip to Italy with kimkim. Our local specialist Leslie took our requests and planned our accommodations, tours, and transfers to suit us perfectly. Our tours of the Duomo and the Last Supper with local guides from Liv Tours were wonderful. Our group tour of the villa on Isola del Garda was a nice way to spend a day on the lake. We loved exploring the sights and streets of Verona. Our last stop in Trieste was memorable as it is an Italian city like no other. We were impressed with the architecture, sea views, restaurants and the vibe of the city. Lastly, our tour with a winemaker in Colli Orientali del Friuli was the perfect way to end our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Boutique Hotel Albero Nascosto

Trieste

Loved location, comfort of the room and the friendly, helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Indigo Verona - Grand Hotel Des Arts

Verona

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just outside of historic centre.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mattress was very comfortable. Shower stall is a little tight.

Hotel Europa

Desenzano del Garda

Great location and breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, but mattress is thin. Hallways are not air conditioned.

Hotel Milu Milano

Milano

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to subway and shopping

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wine Tasting - A Taste of Friuli’s Hill Country

Trieste

An in depth tour with the winemaker. Great wine and food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A Guided Visit to the Isola del Garda (Garda Island

Sirmione

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Express Milan Duomo Tour with Terrace Access

Italy

Great guide and perfect length.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Express Milan Last Supper Tour

Milan

Perfect length to learn about the painting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The trip was well planned from beginning to end. Leslie did an amazing job with selecting hotels that were novel and also in walking distance to the town centers.

We were concerned because of the record heat wave but we should have trusted in the team all the hotels had a good temperature. They either had AC or they were high in altitude and it was cooler or, in one case, the hotel was specifically designed to maintain a low room temperature despite lacking an AC.

Drivers came on time, hotels were unique, the tours were educational. The whole trip just worked like a well oiled machine.

Highly recommend this company, especially if you want to design your own trip.

Perfect planning and execution! Melanie helped us plan, organize and set up a perfect tour of Rome, Naples and Venice with our 16 yr old grandson. She took over with a short timeframe because I started with a trip planner that was not getting the job done. We needed to insure our teenage grandson had a memorable experience. Melanie took charge and the service we received was exceptional. Once on the ground, Giovanni joined our group to insure each day was perfectly executed. We communicated frequently. I cannot say enough about KimKim, Italy Charm, Melanie and Giovanni. We will definitely use again and we highly recommend their services. Thanks for giving us an awesome trip! Ron, Hulyn and Tanner Farr

I was a little bit hesitant on using a travel planner as I normally do this all on my own. However, being from the United States and not being familiar with Italy at all, it was a little intimidating to plan. I found Kimkim with an online search and amazing reviews and never looked back. From the start of the planning process to the entire trip, I was extremely impressed. Our itinerary was perfect and so were all of our tours, transfers and hotels. Rome, Tuscany and Sorrento gave our family a wonderful taste of Italy. The app was very easy to use with all of our train tickets and excursions listed right on it. The private excursions she booked were perfect and geared towards the ages of my teenage children. This memories we created on this trip were priceless! I’m already booking another trip through KimKim!

Activity Reviews

Guided Walking Tour of Florence

Florence

Our tour guide was amazing!!! We loved her and learned so much about Florence on this tour! Would highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

After Closure Tour of the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Good tour overall but boring if you aren’t into art and statues. We were expecting more of a tour of the Vatican grounds and less of the museum. My teenage kids definitely were not fans of this one.

Capri & Costiera Sorrentina Boat Tour

Italy

The boat tour was amazing but I could have completely skipping visiting the island of Capri. Very crowded and difficult to get around.

Exclusive Colosseum Tour for Kids

Rome

Our tour guide was amazing!!! She was so good with our kids ages 11 and 13 and made this tour one of our favorites!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The process of planning and booking this trip was not as positive as the first trip my sister and I did with Kim Kim about 3-4 years ago. For one thing, the computer program did not ever unlink my sister from the trip she had Kim Kim plan to France in March/April 2026. Even MY receipts for payments for MY trip to Italy with my granddaughter were sent to her email! She was not associated with the trip to Italy in any way.
I am not a big fan of having to download everything digitally. I finally got the trip loaded on my phone, BUT my cellular provider evidently does not have good coverage in other countries. I could not get to the trip information on my phone unless I was in the hotel and had WIFI available. Thankfully my granddaughter's cellular coverage worked in Europe, so we used hers when we were away from the hotel.
Jessica was good to respond to the requests when planning, for example booking us a pizza tour rather than a winery tour. It might have been reassuring to be advised that our hotels were within walking distance of the tour meeting places in most instances. The heat this year in July made the walks more challenging, but most people in reasonably good shape would be able to do them. The hotel in Rome was very nice, the staff very accommodating, and the breakfast exceptional. The hotel in Naples was interesting, but when the driver dropped us off, we could not really see where the hotel was. There was a large wooden door (sometimes open for drive through, other times closed with just a walk-through door) with several signs on the right side. The name of the hotel was there among several other signs, on a sign about 20x20 inches square. A person had to punch in a code number to open it if it was not open to drive through. Then one went up a small and rather dingy elevator to a landing with a double wooden door that one used a plastic card to open, then one had a large metal key for one's room. The breakfast room and service were not nearly as nice as the hotel in Rome. The most positive thing it had going for it was it was right on the Dante Plaza where the Pizza tour met to begin.

Hotel Reviews

Rinuccini Relais Hotel

Naples

Hard to find at first - front door did NOT look like most hotel front doors. Getting in and out of hotel was complicated and a little tricky. Breakfast room and service were only average.

Authenticity & Character

The building certainly had character!

Location

Right on Dante Plaza

Staff

Young woman at the desk was very helpful, but no one was available overnight.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Once inside the upper floor and doors of the hotel, things were clean and the AC was nice and cool, but the area around the hotel seemed a little dingy and rough.

Albergo Del Senato

Rome

The rooms were clean and service very good. Breakfast was exceptional. Hotel location was close to a lot of the famous sites in the historic Rome area. Liked it very much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close enough to walk to a lot of the historic sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Air conditioning worked well during the July heat wave.

Activity Reviews

Naples Pizza Tour

Italy

Again, it was hot, even in the evening so it was not as pleasant as it could have been. Our guide was good, but she had to order so much food. My granddaughter and I could not possibly eat all of it, but she said she was supposed to. The sit-down restaurant was nice and welcome as it was cool. It is too bad that outdoor restaurants do not allow people to sit down briefly when there are empty seats in their area - at least for a little while. We had to "perch" on the side of a planter while our guide got our dessert. There were no park benches or other public places to sit in the area. We ended up taking it back to our hotel, but as we were leaving the country the next day, it mostly went to waste.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Italy

It was hot and crowded. I was surprised that the museum did not have air conditioning that worked well. The guide pointed out some interesting things about the paintings and other contents of the museum that I had not thought about or noticed before. The Sistine Chapel was smaller than I was expecting. St. Peter's Basilica was large but also crowded. We did not see most of the lovely side chapels, however as we were finishing and our guide leaving us, a Mass was about to begin, and I was able to stay for it. Since there were no papal audiences during July, it was special to me to be able to attend a Mass in St. Peter's.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day Trip to Pompeii from Naples

Italy

We had a guide who seemed very attuned to what we would be interested in concerning the homes and daily lives of the unfortunate inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum. I liked her approach to guiding us through the site.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mount Vesuvius Entrance Tickets

Italy

Jessica answered my questions about the park, but since we were first timers there, it might have been nice to know about the various paths that one could take to the crater rim and the places to get a drink at the top. Our driver took us by a cameo factory on the way there, and that was interesting, but there was a lot of sales pitches made as well as information given.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

The tour was amazing. Our guide was OK but not as good as some I have had. The meeting place was a little confusing because of the two places (upper and lower) it could have been. The guide explained and showed us many things but did not "bring to life the fascinating history and architectural marvels of the structural, sharing stories of emperors, gladiators, and the roaring spectators". The heat may have had something to do with that I suppose.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff