Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

The Boutique Hotel Galatea was fantastic! Everyone greeted us warmly and the accommodations were comfortable. Our waiter at the complimentary breakfast was most helpful with providing restaurant recommendations for the Florence segment of our trip. Veronik with the Vatican tour and Martina from the Travestere Food Tour were excellent guides and Michela from Michela Home Restaurant gave us the most memorable experience.
The highlight of Florence was most definitely the Tuscany Vespa Tour and the wine/olive oil tasting at Castello di Poppiano! Ben and Alessandro were wonderful guides and made the experience even more special.
Our private transfer driver from Salerno to Sorrento, Massimo, was so very generous and helpful. We made a special request to make a quick visit to the small town of Colliano before being taken to Sorrento. Massimo went above and beyond our expectations for that side jaunt.
Sorrento was breathtakingly beautiful! Unfortunately, bad weather prevented us from enjoying some of our activities. The full day driving along the Amafli coast was absolutely gorgeous, though not an experience I would recommend, due to the extreme traffic and lack of time that we were able to spend exploring each of the towns. However, our driver Angelo was wonderful and made the 9 hours more pleasant with his positive attitude and serenades.

Hotel Reviews

Dedo Boutique Hotel

Florence

Compared to our experience in Rome, the staff was not as friendly. We did have a couple of maintenance issues, which were resolved to our satisfaction. There was a lot of variety for breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very near the Arno River and quite walkable.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Galatea

Rome

The staff was soooo welcoming, friendly. and helpful. The breakfast was good and the personalized service was outstanding. The gentleman waiter from the morning breakfast service personally wrote down restaurant recommendations for us for the next city on our trip. The room was small but clean and comfortable. We would definitely stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aquae Romanae Bed and Breakfast Sorrento

Sorrento

Although this was the largest of the rooms and the proprietor was extremely friendly and helpful, this was our least favorite accommodation. The facility is listed as a Bed and Breakfast, but they no longer provide breakfast since COVID. The bathroom was only separated from the bedroom by a floor to ceiling glass partition. A portion of the glass was frosted to provide some privacy, however, it was still rather uncomfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful. Gave restaurant suggestions. Immediately came when we had a slight issue with the key at the gate.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The shower area was not as clean as other accommodations and the lack of private bathroom was noticeable.

Activity Reviews

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Veronika was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

We don't recall our guide's name, but she was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Food Tour

Rome

We had the guide all to ourselves!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market Tour & Cooking lesson

Rome

Best day ever!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Michela was so wonderful! She made us feel like life-long friends.

Transport

Tuscany Vespa Tours

Florence

Best day in Florence!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ben and Alessandro were fantastic!

Transport

Uffizi and Accademia - Skip the line tickets

Florence

The Birth of Venus and David truly were magnificent! The skip the line tickets are essential.

Quality of Experience

Secrets Walks of Sorrento: Street food by Locals

Italy

Our guide, Hugo, was fantastic and very knowledgeable. We would have preferred that more of the street food we sampled was savory, and not all sweet.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Full Day Tour: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

Italy

This was our least favorite activity. The extreme traffic and lack of time we were able to spend exploring the towns of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello detracted from the overall experience. Our driver, Angelo, made the experience much more pleasant.

Quality of Experience

Due to the traffic, one day just wasn't enough time to fully explore what each town had to offer. More than half of the day was spent in the car.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Angelo was so genuinely nice and joyful. He made the ride through chaotic traffic as enjoyable as possible.

Transport

The car was clean and comfortable. Angelo takes pride in his work and it shows!

Our trip to Italy was booked on Kimkim through Ina, who ensured that my requests were taken care of as they arised during the planning process. For the actual trip, everything was seamless - the drivers, tours, and hotel accommodations. I especially recommend checking out the Amalfi coast and Pompeii! You won’t regret the nurturing assistance of Kimkim’s booking agents.

Hotel Review

Arcadia Hotel Venice

Venice

A charming hotel in Venuce with ultra-polite staff and the most amazing breakfast served in an elegant room!

Authenticity & Character

The dining room is superb!

Location

Easy walking distance to restaurants

Staff

Very courteous staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything you want in a hotel room in historic Venice!

Activity Review

Amalfi Coast Driving & Ferry Boat Tour From Sorrento

Sorrento

Very knowledgeable driver to usher us to our ferry to see the breathtaking Amalfi coast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome: 1. Our private walking tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and very flexible to our wishes. She spent extra time with us and guided us back to our hotel so we wouldn't get lost. 2. Our Colosseum and Forum Liv Tours guide was also knowledgeable, attentive and funny! The most memorable point of interest was St. Peter's Basilica. The Navona Colors hotel has a great location, wonderful staff and well appointed rooms.

Bologna: Our food tour guide was sweet and, as a native, was very knowledgeable about all things Bologna. She provided us with local specialties in a uniquely local setting. She also guided us back to our hotel. Our local travel specialist, Andrea, went out of his way to procure a last minute dinner reservation on a busy Sunday night at a local's restaurant which proved to be delicious! Our hotel, The Hotel Touring, has a great location, wonderful staff, nice bar and spacious rooms.

Venice: 1. Our hidden Venice walking tour and cicchetti experience was disappointing. The guide seemed rushed and distracted and our food was unappetizing and not very special. Also, she left us quite a ways away from our hotel with vague directions on how to find our way back. 2. Our Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica tour guide was very enjoyable and knowledgeable, although we would have preferred a smaller group or private tour. The Hotel Flora was quaint and offers a beautiful courtyard and dining room. All staff was friendly, helpful and very attentive. Andrea again was immediately available to reschedule our airport transportation when our flight time was changed. Walking around the more quiet areas, getting ourselves lost and found again, marveling at the architecture and enjoying the local wines was our favorite thing to do in Venice.

Everybody involved in this trip were excellent.

The KimKim Team was great to work with in planning our Athens/Rome/Florence vacation - our family of 4 was me and my husband and our 20 and 23 year old children. They booked some wonderful tours with experienced guides and all the hotels were centrally located so we walked to almost everything. It gave us great comfort knowing we could reach out to the KimKim team during our visit but everything went so smoothly we had no issues. We highly recommend this company for planning trips. Thank you!

We had a great experience working with Maria. Our trip was amazing!! This was our first time overseas and Maria and her team made the trip easy and seamless. They scheduled all our private transfers, train tickets, hotels and tours. We added some additional private transfers while in Italy and had no problem getting in touch with their local contact. I'd highly recommend Maria and will use KimKim again for any other trips we take.

Hotel Reviews

Kraft Hotel Florence

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Aminta

Sorrento

Great hotel with friendly and helpful staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Independent Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

The Top Tuscan E-Bike Tour

Italy

This was the favorite part of our trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the local area. He answered all our questions about the region and made the trip fun. HIGHLY recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Early Morning Vatican Tour

Rome

Amazing tour! Our guide was very informative on all areas of the Vatican. Can't imagine visiting the Vatican on our own. We would have missed so much of the history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our experience with Maria and her team was great! It was our first trip to Europe and not sure what to expect. Maria took care of every detail of our trip so that we could relax and explore Italy.
We were able to ask questions at any time while we on our trip & the response time was quick from Maria and Jessica.
We would highly recommend using Maria to help plan your trip to Italy!

Activity Reviews

The Top Tuscan E-Bike Tour

Italy

Loved this private tour of the country side and winery!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Steph was our guide and she was amazing!

Transport

Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum

Rome

Our guide, Julia, was amazing! So friendly and knowledgeable. Very impressive and highly recommend her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This Italy trip was fantastic. We travel and speak directly with Valentina, Jessica, and Barbara as Italy experts to make this trip go smoothly and exciting. Our private's guides, Manuela in Florence, Sara in Venice, and Selenia in Rome, were outstanding. They are competitive and knowledgeable.

Siena was a surprise because we didn't know that we would like it so much. In "la Bellissima Florencia," we have a great time taking Tuscan cooking classes with our chef Tomasso and his incredible team of chefs. Venice- St. Marks Basilica was astounding. Venice's food is excellent. I eat at Agli Alboretti Hotel, and the chef is excellent. Gondola thru canals and the vias were terrific, wonderful time for shopping.

We love it, and our next personal trip will be retaken with KimKim. Thank you, guys, for this beautiful travel time.

Hotel Reviews

Il Battistero Siena

Siena

Cozy, personal, private, quiet, great view, excellent host. Perfect!!

Authenticity & Character

This hotel has an old aqueduct and storage for wine downstairs which have a fantastic story about its construction. Go to check.

Location

Walking distance to everything and, at the same time quiet neighborhood.

Staff

Attentive, responsive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

It's a medieval building with suppressive accommodation. It was fantastic.

B&B Hotel Firenze City Center

Florence

Good, but they allocated us to a handicapped room with water excess outside the shower door thru the floor.

Authenticity & Character

Bathroom

Location

Accessible to so many places within walking distance.

Staff

Attentive but not responsive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Water excess outside the shower door thru the floor.

Hotel agli Alboretti

Venice

Old building with authentic decoration of Venice Bay. Cozy, charming, and excellent restaurant. The restaurant annex to the hotel is terrific. One of the best food I ever taste. The fish soup is terrific. Really delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Charming, authentic old Venice building.

Location

Quiet location. Near everything at the same time.

Staff

The staff was great. Attentive, responsive. The restaurant staff was excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Boutique Hotel Galatea

Rome

It is like a secret place deep inside Rome. Walking distance to everything. Cozy, charming, clean, and accessible.

Authenticity & Character

Cozy and charming. It is like we live in a Rome neighborhood.

Location

Walking distance to everything

Staff

Knowledgeable. Take care of everything. We like the service a lot.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Best of Florence Walking Tour with David & the Duomo

Florence

Great visit with amazing detailed information from our guide Manuela, and even the occasional joke. Perfect also because you get to skip the long lines.

Quality of Experience

The academy surprises me. I never tough the David sculpture is so awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them were very respectful and attentive. Very professional and knowledgeable.

Transport

High-quality transportation.

Guided Tour of Florence Duomo with access to the Dome

Florence

Special place. Botticelli's work is outstanding

Quality of Experience

Amazing place. Impressive work of art.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them are great. Respectful and knowledgeable.

Transport

High-quality transportation

Central Food Market & Tuscan Cooking Class

Florence

It was perfect. I love to cook, and this experience was fantastic—easy techniques to perform some Tuscan recipes.

Quality of Experience

Beginning with the market to pick the ingredients was terrific. The whole class was straightforward to follow. The interactions with the chefs were excellent.

Food

Terrific. The best Ragu sauce I ever taste.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of them are great. Respectful and knowledgeable.

Transport

High-quality transportation

Giotto Bell Tower Tickets

Florence

Good trip. Excellent views of the city.

Quality of Experience

Good trip. Excellent views of the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very respectful and attentive.

Transport

High-quality transportation.

Venice Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica and Gondola Ride

Italy

This is a pretty good trip. Venice was outstanding. Our guide (Sara) was excellent. A combination of knowledgeable, personable, and humorous at the same time. It was well worth seeing the Square and the Basilica. I learned a lot and was on a private tour avoiding lines on a crowded day. So, it was perfect.

Quality of Experience

This is a pretty good trip. It was well worth seeing the St. Marks Basilica. OMG, what a place. I learned a lot and was on a private tour, avoiding lines on a crowded day. So, it was perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide (Sara) was excellent—a combination of knowledgeable, personable, and humorous at the same time.

Transport

High-quality transportation.

Dine. Taste. Learn

Rome

Great Time. Excellent food. We love the wines.

Quality of Experience

Very good food and the quality of the "tapas", fantastic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The host was terrific. Very knowledgeable and charming.

Transport

High-quality transportation

Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum

Rome

Fantastic tour with guide Selenia providing detailed explanations and descriptions of sites; perfectly knowledgeable, energetic, and well-expressed guide, willing to answer all questions, big and small.

Quality of Experience

Selenia has a deep knowledge of history and she brings it to life. We got so much more than we would have if we had simply walked through as tourists. She answered questions and added interesting historical facts. She made our trip perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic tour with guide Selenia providing detailed explanations and descriptions of sites; perfectly knowledgeable, energetic, and well-expressed guide, willing to answer all questions, big and small.

Transport

high-quality transportation

Fabio was an excellent guide both during the planning process and while we were on our trip.
Our group of four wanted to visit Florence and the Amalfi Coast and Fabio did a great job reserving our hotels, arranging transportation and securing tickets for tours in Rome and in Florence.

Our hotels in Rome, Sorrento and Florence were first-rate! The locations were perfect, the rooms were excellent and the perks (complimentary breakfast and evening wine/snacks) were unbelievable!

Our drivers and guides were also outstanding. Our most memorable experience had to be our private tour of the Uffizi Gallery and the Academia in Florence. Our guide, Brenda, was amazing. She was passionate about the art and her insights made the tour really special.

The only difficulties we faced in our trip were due to our flight cancellation to Italy at the beginning of our trip. Fabio was right there to change our tour reservations and our hotel reservations. (He must be awake 24/7 monitoring messages!)

We would recommend kimkim highly, especially if you get a chance to work with Fabio!

The trip was wonderful. Rome was crowded and crazy, I’d been there before, but a magnificent city with unmatched history and energy. The colosseum tour with Marta was excellent, with a chance to see the underground that wasn’t available last time I was there. The architecture and engineering that took place 2000 years ago is mind boggling. The hotel was good, full of travelers. Transportation to and from the airport was perfect, both drivers arriving early.
The driver, Fabio, who took us from Rome to Sorrento was wonderful. Very friendly, knowledgeable, speaking excellent English, he was a tour guide as well as a driver. The stop at Pompei was amazing. The tour guide Yulia was excellent, so intelligent and articulate. The hotel in Sorrento was beautiful, on a cliff overlooking the sea. The room was spacious and pleasant, although a bit cave-like with no outside light. One of the desk clerks was very helpful in setting up my Google Maps app. Our Amalfi coast driver, Angelo, was friendly and entertaining, and a veteran at the challenging coastal drive. The day was beautiful despite rain and fog.
A good driver (name unremembered) got us to the Naples airport for the car rental. The car rental was perhaps the most difficult and stressful part of the trip. Very busy and rushed. I upgraded because that was the only option to get navigation, and a very helpful lot attendant got the car computer to work in English. The car was new and beautiful, a Lynk and Co. model, but the electronics were overwhelming and the scant manual was in Italian. We were able to utilize the navigation but couldn’t figure out most other functions. Nonetheless it was a beautiful car and the actual driving was fine. Returning the car at the Termini train station in Rome was very stressful. The station is a frantic and extremely busy place, and there are no signs directing you to the car rental return. A helpful maintenance worker told us how to get to the return lot, or we may still be there driving around. The check out man spoke very little English, and I signed a lot of papers with no idea what I was signing. I received an invoice several days later and I have no idea how much was prepaid or how much I actually am paying for the rental, including a damage surcharge for unknown reasons. I’ve rented cars many times, and its a stressful process, even in your native language, and the rental car industry is well known for mysterious charges. I’m not asking for anything to be done, but just letting you know that the whole process was stressful.
Matera was a surprise and an amazing place. Alina was a wonderful guide, the city was breathtaking, and the experience there was definitely a highlight of the trip. The hotel was very nice and the proprietors were friendly and helpful.
Bari went well. Our guide Giorgio was fantastic, and gave us a very personal and enjoyable tour of the old town. The hotel was central and worked out fine.
Lecce was enjoyable. We had a lot of trouble parking and finding our B&B in the very confusing maze of streets in the old town. There was no one there to greet us when we finally found the place, but was able to call and talk with someone who informed us about parking and actually getting into the room. The door code didn’t work but someone eventually came to let us in. The accomodation was very nice, but we missed the availability of a proprietor who could provide advice and direction. We did a walking tour through the tourist office with a very good guide, and took the narrated tram ride that was informative. The orecchiette class was wonderful, entertaining, interesting, and fun. The owner of Strada del Vino was very supportive and friendly.
The trip was a resounding success, and KimKim’s services were absolutely what we needed. Setting up accommodations and guided events, prepaying, and developing an excellent itinerary made it easy for us to relax and enjoy beautiful Italy.
The app made it easy to know what we were doing and going, and we consulted it dozens of times through the trip. Having you and Jessica available and checking in with us was helpful and reassuring.
A couple of suggestions (not complaints): It would be helpful if parking information was included in the hotel descriptions in the app. Not knowing about parking when coming into busy cities, sometimes
with narrow, winding streets is stressful.
In terms of itinerary, going first to Lecce and ending in Bari would reduce the long drive back to Rome by nearly 2 hours.

Thank you again for your hard work and genuine concern. I won’t hesitate to recommend your services to others.

Grazie Mille

Arrivederci,

Ken and Diane

Fantastic experience from start to finish. The experiences chosen were a good variety and things I may have not discovered on my own. Our entire group loved the trip. Eleni was great to work with, very knowledgeable and responsive. It was also nice having a contact while we were away to answer our questions. I'll never travel without kimkim again!

Hotel Reviews

GCF Luxury Suites

Roma

Amazing hotel in the heart of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Badia Sorrento

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome Food Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Pompeii Tour & Mount Vesuvius visit with lunch and wine tasting

Pompeii

Quality of Experience

I'm

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giuseppe was very knowledgeable and patient.

Transport

Private Amalfi Coast Driving Tour

Italy

Our guide Guieseppe was very knowledgeable and patient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento Sea Kayak Tour

Italy

Fun unique experience and great guides

Quality of Experience

I'm

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Capri Island & Grottos Boat Tour from Sorrento

Sorrento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Every detail was thought through. Our guides, driver, tours, and hotels were exactly what we hoped for. Every tour guide had a Ph.D. level understanding level of the art, history, and the people that made it. Our whole experience was astonishing and far beyond our expectations.
Valeria organized and knew exactly what we wanted and every aspect of our trip was seamless. This left us able to enjoy every minute of the beauty, food, and people of Italy. This was the family vacation I hoped to achieve. My husband and adult children had unforgettable times together and time to explore on our own. Every hotel exceeded the next and the history and beauty of Rome, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Florence, Lake Como, and Milan gave us memories to last a lifetime.
I interviewed several tour planners in the US, Valeria, from Kim Kim, who resides in Rome delivered with "local" knowledge and expertise I could not get in the U.S. Don't hesitate in hiring the Kim Kim experts. I am so grateful that I did.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Della Conciliazione

Rome

The rooms are fine, but there was an unfortunate smell that the hotel tried to cover with air fresherners.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The

Hotel Sina Brufani

Perugia

A really great breakfast and an excellent location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

You could walk to anywhere from here.

Staff

so helpful and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Hotel Cavour

Florence

Great location.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albergo Terminus

Como

Great location!

Authenticity & Character

Cannot image staying anywhere else. Their terraced par/restaurant was an excellent to wind down with friends and family

Location

Your could walk to anywhere from here. The rooms were great!

Staff

Answered every request.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean. The staff answered every request.

Star Hotel Rosa Grand

Milan

What a hotel! You will love the location. The best.

Authenticity & Character

Corporate hotel but in an excellent location.

Location

So close to the Doumo, castle and the best shopping.

Staff

Every request was met with a no problem.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The turn down service was really great.

Activity Reviews

Private Colosseum, Forum Tour & Palatine hill

Rome

Julia was amazing. We learned so much. Her pace was perfect and she arranged for me to take the elevator in the Colosseum, that was a game changer for me because I have a damaged right knee. The weather was perfect! Julia was able to answer our endless questions without taking a beat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The driving in Rome is CRAZY our drivers were able to navigate it all. I can tell you this is quite feat.

Private golf cart tour

Rome

Dario was unbelievable. We had a blast on our golf tour. These golf tours are a great way to see Rome!

Quality of Experience

The park that provide a spectacular view of the city

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Dario was great. I would recommend his services for this tour to anyone

Transport

Rome drivers are crazy, but the golf cart is a great way to go. You need to be an expert driver, that is for sure.

Small group tour of Vatican City , Sistine Chapel & saint Peter's Basilica

Rome

Wow, learned so much. It was a great family experience. Ev/Ava was wonderful. We learned so much from her and she was warm and knowledgeable. She clearly loved her work and made us feel so welcome

Quality of Experience

learned so much.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were so good. Could expect more.

Transport

Private Pizza-making class

Rome

Tony was unbelievable! We love the experience. Tony was so generous and knowledgeable. All five of us loved it. We were fed so well and by the fruits of our labor with Tony. We ate a lot of pizza during our trip. I can honestly say we ate our best pizza here, in this class.

Quality of Experience

We were to walk through the oldest open-air market in Rome. It was outstanding.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was on time time and even though we ran over for our next tour, he was ready to take us to our next destination.

Transport

Who cannot love a Mercedes?

Full day Private tour of Assisi and Spello with car and guide at disposal

Italy

We had an unexpectedly great tour here. We didn't know what to expect but Isabella made the entire time spectacular! She knew where to go and HOW to go. Avoiding crowds and difficult climbs. The views were wonderful and the blooming flowers were smelling wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The warmth and generous treatment of us through sun and rain. You can't go wrong with the wonderful services of this group.

Transport

We always had late-model Mercedes that sat us comfortably

Private guided tour of the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries (4 hours)

Florence

The crowds were crazy but Simona guided us through the crowds and the museum staff. We saw so many beautiful things and she was able to answer all our questions. I was particularly slow and stopping often to look at things that only interested me. My family despaired of my frequent stops but Simona was patient and able to answer all my questions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small group Tour of Tuscany Oil & Wine Tasting with a personal sommelier

Florence

We had been traveling and touring in our small family group, this was our only group tour, a small group tour. Probably the only misstep we took. I thought we would all love wine tasting. We did not. The views were wonderful, but the wine, not so much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everyone loved the food and the pairing with the wine.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boat Tour of Lake Como - Explore Bellagio

Italy

We started out the morning, it was cloudy and cold, but without rain. Our guide Laura helped us get comfortable on our boat and off we went. We saw George Clooney's house and every beautiful palace/home on the lake. We laughed and laughed and had a great time.

Quality of Experience

Food

There was no food included.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bernina Express and St Moritz full day tour from Milan

Italy

It was raining and expected to be in the 30's F. so we canceled the trip

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio was an excellent resource throughout the entire trip and planning process. We told him some highlights and he helped us achieve the experience we wanted for our family. He took everyone in our 5 person party into account and made sure there were activities for kids (ages 14 and 11) and my mother. From the planning process throughout the entire vacation not only was he available and responsive all hours of the day and night, he would proactively remind us about important tour times during the actual trip, any updates to the itinerary and then would touch base with us on Whats App to make sure we had connected which each of our private tour guides. For example, we got lost and were 10 mins late to our tour in Napoli and he connected with the tour guide to let him know we were on the way and helped us get to the correct spot so we did not get left behind. He checked in with us every evening of our 9 day trip (3 different cities) to make sure we were happy with how the day went and to see if any adjustments needed to be made to the next day. He also helped us find excellent places to eat and had back up ideas in case we ran late or had weather that caused a change of plans.

Alessia was awesome. So very helpful, personable, and available. She reviewed our itinerary every evening. She and the guides for our tours (in Venice and Florence) were greatly appreciated. The LivTours were also well done

Activity Review

"Bacari" local street food tour

Italy

This was great. I would recommend that this Should be done at the beginning at the beginning of our stay as we were unable to go back to the places as this was our last day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We used your service because we were very satisfied last time. everything ticked and the whole experience was great.
This time the experience was very different.
The service was less available, less informative, less proactive. And was replaced in the middle of the planning by another representative whose felt inexperienced and unprofessional, she received our questions in a completely incorrect way and even considered canceling (!) the entire planning.
My husband used the service to save time and headache, and none of this happened - on the contrary, he felt uncomfortable throughout the entire planning process in front of you, and each time encountered availability and access problems of the service providers.
During the trip itself we were surprised to find that there were holes that were not addressed or were not told to us.
Part of the reason to use the trip planning and the locals is to get information if the planning is good or not and this is something we felt we should ask everything specifically - instead of feeling that we are taken care of and that we can trust you.
We were very disappointed with the service and realized that next time we will probably skip it.

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).

Excellent organization and help throughout my stay in Tuscany and Amalfi coast. The quoted price was well worth it and my trip was not rushed or too slow, just right. Jessica was available 24/7 for any concerns or questions.
I’ll be in touch again for another trip to cover Southern Italy.

Overall, our experience with our specialist Harris was positive. He was responsive to any questions or changes we had, and the tour guides for all of our activities were knowledgeable, friendly, and entertaining. One notable moment of excellent service was when our limo driver at the train station went above and beyond to help us with an issue with our train tickets.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Olimpia

Venice

Absolutely loved this hotel. The location was perfect, the front desk staff was friendly and helpful, the room was clean, and the breakfast was fantastic. My teenager even had her own little space, which made her very happy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alfieri9 Boutique Hotel Florence

Florence

This hotel was not a good fit for us. The good parts were that it was clean, quiet, and secure, and the breakfast was good. However, the location was not ideal as there was not much around it, and there was an issue with hot water pressure in the shower.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel Campo de' Fiori

Rome

This hotel was perfect. We stayed in one of the apartments, which was more than we needed, but it gave our 14-year-old her own space. The breakfast was great, with eggs and omelets available. The location was fantastic, with plenty of places to eat nearby and a market right outside the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Florence Highlights Walking Tour

Florence

The tours were great, but it was too much to have them back-to-back without a break in between. If I were to do it again, I would space them out more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Really enjoyed this tour, and our guide was fantastic. It was amazing to go into the bottom level of the Colosseum.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Guided Tour

Rome

The tour itself was great, but we were not aware that the Vatican could close the church at any time, which happened during our visit. However, we did get to see the Pope, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fresh Pasta Making & Tiramisu Cooking Class

Rome

This was a fun and enjoyable experience. The chef was great, the food was delicious, and we had a nice group of people to share the experience with.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We highly recommend Valeria and her team for planning (and executing) a trip to Italy. Ours was flawless.
Guides were excellent. Barbara was our primary in-country coordinator and texted us every day with detailed plans and contacts. This was very reassuring. Can't say enough about Melissa, our guide at Lake Como. She provided valuable information throughout the tour. Cannot remember the name of the lady who met us in Venice but she met us at the train and got us to our hotel easily. She provided us will maps and advice as to how to get around Venice. She also recommended a great restaurant on the main channel that we loved.

Our guide in Venice, Sill, was very knowledgeable but she provided too much historical detail and actually held us up at times so that we had to rush through the last part of our tour. We would have preferred for her to be more sensitive to our preferences. (In hindsight I probably should have said something).

All three hotels and services were exceptional.

Overall this is the way to have a stress free vacation in a country that is not easy to travel in when you have several destinations and activities planned. It is probably at least 1 1/2 times what you would pay making all of the arrangements yourself, but it can make the difference between a pleasant versus stressful vacation.

I would have chosen a different hotel in Amalfi. The beds were uncomfortable and the room was warm at night. It was not comfortable to sleep there.

I was unhappy with the customer service with the vespa tour company. The tour started late, the restaurant we went to at the end of the tour was not very good. I would have preferred to pick a restaurant in Sorrento.

The tour guide, Leonardo, cut our tour short at the Vatican. He thought it was 3 hours when it was 4 hours. I would have preferred to stay in the Vatican longer because it was rushed.

This was my first trip using a travel company. I've traveled to Europe before and planned everything myself. I don't plan on using a travel company again.

I do appreciate that when we had issues during the trip, Jessica was helpful to get things fixed. However, I think these issues would not have happened if I had planned everything on my own.

Hotel Reviews

Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Bussola

Amalfi

Uncomfortable beds and the temperature in the rooms are warm at night. I would not stay here again. The location was gorgeous and the breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Get better mattresses

Hotel Carnival Palace

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Venice Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica Access

Italy

Nico was a great tour guide. He took great pictures and gave us a lot of cool info about Venice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vespa tour along Sorrento Coast and Positano

Amalfi Coast

Quality of Experience

Food

Pick a restaurant in Sorrento or let us choose a restaurant instead.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Capri Boat Tour and Blue Grotto

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum Tour Including Roman Forum

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

I would have loved to spend more time at the Vatican...our tour was cut short because the tour guide mistakenly thought it was 3 hours instead of 4 hours.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport