Kimkim Trip Reviews for Italy

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Review of Four days in Naples Feb 6 - Feb 9, 2023 Feb 6, 2023: Arrival at our hotel Rinucci Relais Our driver at the Naples Airport was on time and patiently waited for us to do the paperwork for my husband’s lost suitcase that had been left behind at Rome airport. At the Rinucci Relais, we were warmly greeted and offered typical Naeopolitian pastries; then our host explained the breakfast service and showed us around our room. Our accomodations were much more than the average hotel suite. Our “apartment” was spacious with a sitting area and and table and chairs if we wished to breakfast in our room. The bathroom and shower were spacious and modern. There was also a kitchen with a small stove and boiler. On host also helped us to book restaurants and her suggestions were excellent. Our breakfasts were spectacular, well prepared, generous, and delicious. We were very pleased with our stay at the Rinucci Relai and would definately book the Rinucci Relais if we were to visit Naples again. Naples and Pompeii 7 February Our guide, Iulia, arrived at the appointed at our hotel and we discussed our plans for the day. We drove to the center of “Old town Naples” and Iulia explained the important architectural elemtent of the streets and important churches, monumnets, Roman ruins, ancient structures. To help us to get a sense of the city, Iulia recounted many myths and stories about what we were seeing. We stopped for coffee and delicious Nepolitian pastries. We enjoyed wandering the crazy streets of Naples and learning about the culinary delights of the city. In the afternoon we drove to Pompeii. As we walked through the small museum and the ruins of the site, Iulia’s explanations, historical details, and humorous stories about Pompeii were detailed, interesting and engaging. I especially appreciated learning about the frescos/wall painting in the various structures that we viewed. Iulia was an excellent guide; she made our visit to Pompeii a fun learning experience. Her sense of humor and extensive knowledge made for an excellent day. 8 February: Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Ciro Our driver, Ciro, met us at the appointed time to begin our exploration of the Amalfi coast. We discussed our itinerary for the day. Since our visit was in winter and many places on the Amalfi coast would be closed, Ciro suggested that we make adapt our original plan. We very much appreciated this. Our Naples guide had also made us aware of quietness of the coast during the winter season. The coast scenery was beautiful. As Ciro drove along the coast, he added details about the coast and Naples. His commentary was interesting, informed, and added to the landscape that we were viewing. We stopped in Amalfi for an hour to wanders, and of course, indulge in coffee and Neopoltian pastries. We also made several view-point stops. Our route took us to Sorrento where we originally planeed to stop for lunch. After realizing that the best restaurants would be closed, Ciro suggested that on our return that we could stop in the shadow of Vesuius at a winery for a wine tasting of local wines and lunch. We liked this suggestion and enjoyed the wine tasing and a delicious lunch. On our return to our hotel in Naples, we stopped for a coffee. This was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Ciro was an excellent driver and provided us with a lovely tour of the coast. 9 February: Our driver picked us up at Rinucci Relais and drove us to the airport for our flight home.

Barbara met us on the street and directed us to the B&B which was hard to find. She gave us information about the town and offered to drive us to the Valley of the Temples the next morning for our early tour. She served us breakfast each morning with wonderful Italian pastries, jams, and spreads. She was more than gracious. The room had a view of the valley of the temples below and the sea in the distance. We would have enjoyed the balcony if it had been warmer, but we chose to travel in the winter.

Our guide Anna was just delightful. It was a relaxing and fun four hours. She really knows Siena and also had lots of recommendations for other places to take a day trip to in the area as well as shopping and restaurant tips. Her English was excellent and we just thoroughly enjoyed her knowledge of the city, its history and its food.

Terrific location away from the Christmas crowd. Beautiful view. Clean and comfortable with a helpful staff.

Great location near the Basilica of San Francesco. Clean room, delicious breakfast, friendly and helpful staff.

Perfect location, clean and comfortable, excellent breakfast, friendly and helpful service.

Catia met us on time in the designated location. She taught us so much about Assisi and the region, and showed us the beautiful sites. Although she could not go into the Basilica with us due to the Christmas holiday, she prepared us well. She even gave us recommendations on other places to see in the area.

We loved exploring Assisi. What a beautiful, spiritual place. We did not expect the crowd, but it was wonderful seeing people enjoying the Christmas displays.

This came about because of a last minute scheduling change, and was a real bonus! Interesting history and beautiful site.

An amazing walk through history with an exceptional guide.

Very crowded at Christmas time, but our guide Luciana did a beautiful job and kept us moving.

The hotel is located right across from the US embassy and very nearby one of the large parks. The rooms itself was nothing too special and it was fine for us to just rest and be out exploring the rest of the day. The beds were a little more firm than I am used to, so it was not very comfortable for me. It was about a 20-minute walk to most attractions.

This hotel was so lovely and perfectly located along the river. They had a bottle of Prosecco and fruit for us waiting in the room as a congratulations and that was so lovely to start our trip in Florence. The breakfast was delicious and staff was very helpful. The hotel provided umbrellas for guests and honestly the location couldn't be beat. It was so close to everything and had a beautiful view from our room.

I enjoyed learning about the Jewish "ghetto" and how it's been preserved in Rome, as well as trying the different kinds of Italian foods. Even though I was full at the end, I wish there was one more stop for pizza or pasta. Unfortunately one of the places the guide was going to take us to was closed.

We got lucky and were able to hear an orchestra practice at La Scala theater which was special. I also enjoyed hearing about the history of the city and exploring the Duomo with our tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and friendly.

While it was really cool to see Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, it was overwhelmingly crowded. I felt we didn't have the full freedom to walk around and view things on our own until after the guided tour was over, in which case you had to go back around and start at the beginning. The art was beautiful though and it was nice learning about the history.

Using Kimkim to plan my honeymoon was so easy and definitely worth it! I recommend to anyone planning a big trip, especially in a foreign country to use this service! It can be really stressful to look up reviews of places, compare pricing, and then need help with the language after booking. Fabio and Deborah were fantastic to work with. Fabio created the itinerary and helped adjust it after some feedback. Deborah was a great contact before the trip. To start my trip, my husband and I experienced a delay in our flight and ended up arriving very late at night. Our Italian concierge, Roberta, was phenomenal. We communicated through Whatsapp and she reassured me that we would be taken care of once we arrived and not to worry about any delays in our flights. She also helped us get recommendations and reservations for a Christmas Day lunch which was very helpful. It was also really nice to have private transfers when we moved from city to city and to and from the airport. The train station in Milan would have been a little difficult to navigate on our own. I thought our itinerary was a great mix of small private tours and days where we were free to explore on our own. In Milan, we did a tour of Duomo as well as La Scala theater. Our guide, Barbara, was wonderful and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed this on our first day as we got our bearings in the city and were able to walk around a bit and explore the Christmas markets nearby. We also did a cooking class that was awesome. Our cooking teacher, Debora was very friendly and made it seem so easy to cook up some delicious pasta and tiramisu. In Florence, we did a wine and olive oil tasting tour in Tuscany and a walking tour of the city that included museum tickets to see Michalangelo's David sculpture. We enjoyed all aspects of these itineraries in Florence. In Rome, we did a tour of the Coleseum, Palestine Hill, the Roman Forum, and a separate tour of Vatican city and the Sistine Chapel. These were really crowded, so I was glad to have tickets and not worry about entrance into these tourist destinations. Additionally in Rome, we did an Aperitivo tour/food tour which was delicious and had us returning to a few favorite spots while we were still in town. Valeria, our food tour guide, was great company and we really enjoyed eating our way through Rome.

Accommodations were beautiful and their breakfast was my favorite! Got spoiled! It was quite surprising to learn that 2 beds meant 2 twin beds pushed together, but that’s apparently a common thing since it happened at all 3 hotels. We managed! Also surprised that what I call a “washcloth” was not part of the towel package! Sorry for all the wet hand towels which were the smallest available! Room service was VERY helpful and punctual when we needed extra services. Was definitely pleased with accommodations and hotels!

Very quiet setting near airport. Only negative was bed pillows were paper thin and should be improved

Great location to see the city, plus just across the street from the train station

It was raining all day, but guide was able to focus on inside options including a beautiful government building that isn’t routinely open to tourists

Personal attention from chef (Michael) was great.

Actual winery operations is not on site

Beautiful location with excellent staff. Best winery tour I’ve ever had.

Royal Palace Turin was amazing and should be a priority

We only stayed here one night, but the room was very comfortable. The building was beautiful and right on the lake.

Rooms are small, but generally nice. There is currently construction outside the hotel making it harder to access, but will be in an even more prime location once the Metro expansion is complete. The breakfasts were good and staff friendly.

Enjoyed the tour and tasting.

Ester Ghezzi was an incredible guide. Truly enjoyed our tour and the sights we were able to see. She had all the tickets we needed which made things easy. She was very knowledgable

Grreat location, staff, and room!

Great location, staff, and room!

The Belvedere is beautiful with amazing views of the Tuscan hillside. We had such a relaxing stay there after a week in Florence. Breakfast was delicious - with an ingenious cappuccino maker!

This was probably the highlight in a trip of amazing experiences! We learned so much about how lambrusco, parma ham, parmigiana reggiano, and ricotta are made. We cannot overstate how delicious everything was. Just a note - instead of the pasta making class, we had lunch at the Opera winery, which was incredible, with the most beautiful views. Our guide Isadora and driver Fabia were very knowledgeable and great fun. Highly recommend!

I liked the location in an orange grove. It looks out to Mt Etna which is nice. However it was not my favourite hotel on this trip. The countryside is lovely but the entrance to this hotel is THE most awkward I have seen in my travels to many countries. It is not welcoming. There is a very narrow gate between concrete posts and you must speak into an intercom to get the gate opened. It is on a back country road and I thought our GPS was off. The road from the gate [about a kilometer long?] is in very poor condition. There is no signage to indicate the entry to the front desk. On arrival we were told there was no room at dinner [out in the country after a long day travelling]. Then they changed their minds and we had the Michelin starred tasting menu at vast expense [ it was good enough but... there was really no other choice]. The breakfast was good. The second night we declined to eat in the restaurant as there is so little choice... . So- in my opinion, this hotel has some confusion as to what their core business actually is-- Is it a hotel? A Michelin starred restaurant? A citrus farm? A spa? I remain puzzled by this place. Maybe I am missing something...... but I wouldn't return. I also did not like that we were asked to state our arrival time and food preferences/ allergies 3 or 4 days in advance.... travel for us is spontaneous.

Lovely hotel in a super good location as well.

This was the best place we stayed on this trip. The welcoming staff were wonderful. The hotel is lovely. Can't recommend it enough!

This was fine. We really liked the staff. The breakfast was good. The location was great as we could walk everywhere. It was clean but not fancy.

Enza was the Best Tour Guide Ever. If you get Enza you are really really lucky. She was v knowlegeable and made the entire Valley of the Temples come to life for us. We were not familiar with this incredible site and yet felt that we had had a crash course in the history of many cultures that have come together in this part of the world. We will never forget our afternoon with Enza. We highly recommend her! Thank you Enza!

Emmanuel was terrific! We really liked him and the afternoon was a lot of fun. Thank you!

This hotel was interesting, with fully staffed lobby bar and roof top bar, but no patrons. The one night we went to the roof top it had a night club feel, but we were the only ones there. The breakfast was excellent.

The staff at Gran Duca di York in Milan was very attentive and having a happy hour in the hotel was great for our larger group.

This small hotel is owner operated with a part-time front desk. The owner is available by phone, and was very helpful.

Fattoria la Loggia was everything we hoped it would be! Most of the guests were families with children, and the atmosphere was warm and family friendly. The pool was fabulous and definitely our boys favorite. The three-bedroom apartment with a kitchen was great for our family. On our Parma and Modena days, we bought cheese, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar on our tours; we supplemented those with some fruit and bread, and that was our dinner for two of our nights at la Loggia. As we expected, there was no air conditioning. Keeping the shutters closed during the day kept the apartment from getting too hot, and with fans we were able to sleep well. The managers also gave us a wonderfully fun and delicious cooking lesson outside with views of the vineyards. We would highly recommend staying there!

What a way to start the day - a black car waiting for us at the hotel curb at 7:30 for our 8 AM early entrance Vatican tour. All of the pre-arranged transfers really made a huge difference! At the Vatican Sarah was another wonderful guide. She gave us a wonderful tour of both the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica, and while there is no way of covering all of the art and history of these two places in three hours, she chose well which pieces to focus on and gave us both historical and religious perspective.

Biking the Appian Way with Fabrizzio. What a fun way to see this important part of Roman history! The tour started with a ride across Rome through the Jewish Quarter and past the Circus Maximus before heading out the Appian Way. This was a real bike ride (no e-bikes for us!) with some strenuous sections. We rode past Italian villas on the way to the Catacombs. On our way back we continued clockwise around the Forum, biking by the Arch of Constantine, down dei Fori Imperiali and past Curia of Pompey, where Cesar was assassinated. Fabrizzio was interesting and gave us many new tidbits of information on places we had seen. He also trusted that we knew what we were doing on bikes - this was not a tour for rookies! Back at the shop, Fabrizzio and the owner shared with us some of their favorite spots.

This was really an interesting tour. The Capuchin Crypt was very unexpected, a bit bizarre and beyond interesting - the bones of monks made into art. In one of the crypts shoulder blades were arranged as butterflies. Even though we were only there for about 30 minutes it was absolutely a must see! For the Catacombs portion of the tour our guide was a geologist who had helped map these Catacombs, admitting to having been lost in the Catacombs as a student more than once. We did not get lost!

This tour with Sarah Napolitani was also one of the very best tours we have ever been on! We were a few minutes early, and Sarah took us straight out, so we were one of the first into the Forum when it opened at 8 AM. She timed our route so that we avoided the massive crowds of tourists for as long as possible. But once we got to the Coliseum avoiding crowds was no longer possible…the crowds were insane! But we just followed Sarah and let the chaos go on around us. She provided a very interesting mix of history, funny stories and thoughtful moments that had all of us mesmerized. We had so much fun with her!

This sunset walking tour was wonderful and a great way to get to know the city. Our guide, Giuseppe, helped us to get our bearings, giving us a great overview of the city and where we wanted to spend more time. He also taught us how to drink from one of the many Big Noses of Rome and gave us a great recommendation for a restaurant to eat at that evening.

The couple who manages Fattoria la Loggia were engaging teachers, the setting was spectacular and the meal we made was delicious! Fresh pasta with roasted vegitables for dinner and tiramisu for desert.

Our tour guide, Antonella, gave us the very best tour we have ever been on! She was so engaging (even to our two teenage sons). It was certainly a “Renaissance” tour. Antonella was so proud of her home city; she gave us such a complete understanding of the city and how it changed the world. She shared such a wonderful mix of historical facts mixed in with human interest, that we were captivated every moment. When we mentioned that we were reading a book about Michelangelo, she began to cater to stories and artwork that were specific to Michelangelo, complimenting what we were already learning about from the book. She was wonderful!

A car waiting outside our hotel when we needed it, fantastic!

Our guide, Elisa, was a local teacher who gave tours in the summer. She was a very fun guide who gave us a wonderful tour! We enjoyed the mix of history and trivia she gave us.

The tour in Milan was the right tour for us because it focused on exactly what we wanted, the Duomo and La Scala. Nina (our guide) was very informative and extremely thorough and wearing the headphones allowed us to wander but still hear everything she had to say. But at 4 and a half hours it was a little too long. A little less detail and an hour shorter would have been better (especially with our teenage boys).

convenient to the train station.

Love the location and staff!! Room was generous for European standards. Great breakfast too!

Small room and a little dated BUT great location and staff!

Very family friendly way to cover a museum which isn't always fun for kids!

My son's fav part of the visiting Florence! A must for families but also fun for all ages

Great way to visit Murano, see Venice, and learn the history of this unique Italian city!

Adriana, our tour guide was great. We had a tired, grumpy, and hungry 9 year old. She walked us straight to dinner at the end of the tour!

Grand Hotel Royal, Sorrento is the best hotel from our Southern Italy trip. It is centrally located in Sorrento with many nice restaurants near by. This elegant 5 star hotel is located at the top of a cliff with an elevator to the beach. The view from the beautiful garden and our balcony were magnificent . The staff was great and breakfast was delicious! It's so enjoyable and relaxing staying at the Grand Hotel Royal.

Enjoyed the sounds, taste and color of this delicious fish market tasting tour. Giusi our tour guide is excellent and we enjoyed the delicious green drink and fried seafood from her restaurant. The tasting menu from other restaurant and cheese sampling were great too.

Seeing the incredible story telling mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale was very impressive. Our excellent tour guide, Marta made this tour very interesting and lively. The vivid depiction of the captured animals and ostrich being loaded into a boat was awesome.

It's amazing seeing the beautiful mosaic Bible stories all around the Cathedral of Monreale. Thanks to our terrific tour guide Antonio who made this tour very interesting and enjoyable! We had a wonderful time walking through the lovely town of Cefalu with many interesting shops and we tasted the best warm meat and sausage rice ball there. It's so wonderful cooling off and swimming at the beautiful Cefalu sandy beach.

The Limoncello Tour with Chef Fiore was lot of fun. The wonderful meal from his restaurant was so delicious and I learned many different ways using lemon in my cooking from this tour. Thank you Chef!

The instructor was awesome and the tour was very interesting. Only comment would be to be sure the private transfer shows up about an hour later, as we were unable to stay for the sampling of the wine and food we had made.

Fabulous view! We looked out our window in the morning and saw a deer in the field. The rooftop restaurant was great, and the staff was super friendly.

The location couldn't have been better. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting on our balcony and looking up at the Acropolis. The rooftop restaurant was exquisite and the staff was the most helpful, friendliest I've ever met. They made us feel like old friends. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

This place was magical! The views and location were breathtaking and the staff was the best! Wish we could have stayed longer.

Such a fun place with the most fantastic breakfast we've ever had! The staff was incredibly helpful and nice.