Profile photo for Cecilia Ventura
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active 10 hours ago

Cecilia Ventura

I have been passionate about travel since I was little and I have always dreamed of working in the Tourism industry once I grew up, planning trips to let people discover beauty.
I have been for a long time "that friend you would call when you wish to plan a trip". I love Travel Photography, cherish the beauty that surrounds me each time I'm in a new place and capture it in one picture, and I have always planned myself my itineraries.
Now I can say that I am lucky because I wake up every day and I am happy to see that one of my dreams has come true.

What places and activities do you specialize in?

"Italy, Tuscany, Campania, Amalfi Coast, Sorrento. "

How did you get involved in travel?

"I am an art historian and I started as a tour guide first and then, step by step, I grew up taking a step into the organizational part of the travel world."

Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.

"My first photo session at sunrise in Göreme, Cappadocia. "

Cecilia is part of the following groups: Italy Travel Agents
Top itineraries and travel advice
Family itineraries
Luxury itineraries
Road trip itineraries

Recent trip reviews for Cecilia

We had a great time with no issues at any eve...
Italy | Dec 17 - Dec 25, 2023

Lisa
Lisa M.
Florence-Graham, CA | Reviewed on Dec 26, 2023
We had a great time with no issues at any event! The only hiccup was when we first arrived and the driver was a couple of minutes late and not behind pole three. The Concept hotel had a lovely woman who checked us in and another lovely woman who made breakfast. It was an easy walk to the Spanish steps from there and when we returned for the last night felt like returning home! There was only one outlet in the room which made charging our devices challenging.
Our walking tour of Roma was...
Read more

We had a great time with no issues at any event! The only hiccup was when we first arrived and the driver was a couple of minutes late and not behind pole three. The Concept hotel had a lovely woman who checked us in and another lovely woman who made breakfast. It was an easy walk to the Spanish steps from there and when we returned for the last night felt like returning home! There was only one outlet in the room which made charging our devices challenging.
Our walking tour of Roma was great as it was just us so we could see what we wanted, linger for photos, and got into the collesium.
The hotel in Venice was also in a great location! The breakfast there was typical best western, meh. I am not in Italy to drink lousy coffee! We enjoyed the boat tour- the second island had little to offer on a cold cloudy day, but Murano and Burano were awesome.
The gondola ride was as expected- on a quiet night actually felt kind of creepy…
The Joy Hotel in Florence was close to the train station, and easy walk to everything, although the neighborhood itself felt sketchy. Joy hotel hands down had the best breakfast!! We truly enjoyed the street food tour. Would do that again !
To top off a wonderful trip, we were able to see the Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican our last night.

Hotel Reviews
Rome Concept Terrace Hotel
Rome

Great experience checking in and lovely cappuccino and breakfast! Was glad I had a power adapter with multiple ports as only one outlet in the room. They could put a bigger sign in the window as we walked right past the door to the hotel more than once- after we actually knew where it was! Easy walking distance to Spanish Steps.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
C-Hotels Joy

Best breakfast ! Location close to train station.

Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura
Cecilia
Cecilia Ventura
Local specialist in Rome | Replied on Jan 15, 2024

Thank you, Lisa!!
I am really happy you liked your Italian trip! ✨✨
This is the best part of my job!

Thank you!

Cecilia

The entire trip was the best vacation my fami...
Italy | Oct 15 - Oct 28, 2023

W
Wes S.
the Bahamas | Reviewed on Nov 06, 2023
The entire trip was the best vacation my family has ever been on. The WhatsApp group really help us with last minute questions. Read more

The entire trip was the best vacation my family has ever been on. The WhatsApp group really help us with last minute questions.

Hotel Reviews
Grand Hotel Europa Palace
Sorrento

The hotel is in walking distance of everything. The entire staff was excellent. The view from the room was magical.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Bettoja Hotel Massimo D'Azeglio
Rome
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Castello di Gargonza
Arezzo

I highly suggest staying here.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Liassidi Palace
VENEZIA

the view was not good from the room. Also, there was no A/C which should have been ok if the weather was different, but it was still very warm every day which made the room hot at night. We were told to open the windows, but the mosquitos were so bad that we had to sleep with the sheets over our face to prevent.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Rome - 2h Gladiator School
Rome - 2h Gladiator School
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
DISCOVER CHRISTIAN CATACOMBS AND ANCIENT BASILICAS
DISCOVER CHRISTIAN CATACOMBS AND ANCIENT BASILICAS
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Rome Walking Tour
Rome Walking Tour
Rome

He had a great since of humor and made the tour very fun.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica
Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome

The tour guide was very knowledgably and made it the best of all of our tours

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day at leisure in Sorrento
Day at leisure in Sorrento
Sorrento
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Pompeii  Excavations half-day Tour
Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour
Italy
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Gondola Ride
Private Gondola Ride
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
PRIORITY ACCESS TO DOGE'S PALACE TICKETS
PRIORITY ACCESS TO DOGE'S PALACE TICKETS
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day At leisure in your castel
Day At leisure in your castel
Arezzo
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Venice Walking Tour
Private Venice Walking Tour
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR - SEMI PRIVATE (max 12)
AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR - SEMI PRIVATE (max 12)
Sorrento
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura

Cecilia made planning a trip to Italy so EASY...
Italy | Oct 3 - Oct 11, 2023

S
Susan L.
Ashland, MA | Reviewed on Oct 12, 2023
Cecilia made planning a trip to Italy so EASY. She was helpful with everything and SO patient with all my questions. The transfers, trains, tours and experiences were all planned so well and made traveling so nice to have things in place. The hotel we stayed in was exactly what we were looking for. Wonderfull cooking class in Florence. I hope when we are ready to plan our next trip we can have Cecilia! Read more

Cecilia made planning a trip to Italy so EASY. She was helpful with everything and SO patient with all my questions. The transfers, trains, tours and experiences were all planned so well and made traveling so nice to have things in place. The hotel we stayed in was exactly what we were looking for. Wonderfull cooking class in Florence. I hope when we are ready to plan our next trip we can have Cecilia!

Hotel Review
C-Hotels Joy

Well priced hotel right next to train station and easy walking distance to Florence center. Clean and quiet. The breakfast in the morning was the best with the nicest woman who greeted us each morning. Many choices of food to eat and ALL delicious.

Authenticity & Character
Location
If taking the train, it was great to be so close.
Staff
The woman at breakfast was the best. Happy. Cheerful. Always ready to get you what you wanted. So much energy.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura

AMAZING! kimkim easy and professional to work with!
Italy | Jul 31 - Aug 10, 2023

K
Karla S.
Pottstown, PA | Reviewed on Aug 23, 2023
We had an amazing trip to Italy! From start to finish it was so easy working with kimkim! Cecilia was great! She literally took basic information on things we wanted to see/do and areas we thought we'd like to go and she mapped out the entire trip! She sent us a full itinerary including the stops along our trip, area info for each stop, hotel info, transports, train info, all our excursions, and additional recommendations for each location! It was awesome! We made little to no changes... Read more

We had an amazing trip to Italy! From start to finish it was so easy working with kimkim! Cecilia was great! She literally took basic information on things we wanted to see/do and areas we thought we'd like to go and she mapped out the entire trip! She sent us a full itinerary including the stops along our trip, area info for each stop, hotel info, transports, train info, all our excursions, and additional recommendations for each location! It was awesome! We made little to no changes in the itinerary. And every step along the way was exactly as described! And we were a group of 10 so not an easy feat to move 10 people around in another country we weren't familiar with at all lol! It all went smoothly. We loved each place, all the hotels, and every excursion! kimkim was knowledgeable on the areas, was in contact with us while in Italy, and responded to us timely before and during the trip. And our guides for each excursion were wonderful~ highly recommend the guided tours :) We have already said we are going to use kimkim again for future trips! And we definitely recommend kimkim to others! Thank you!

Hotel Reviews
Liassidi Palace
VENEZIA
Hotel Roma
Florence
La Tonnarella
Sorrento

Absolutely Beautiful~ the views are stunning!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Republic
Roma
Activity Reviews
Private Gondola Ride
Private Gondola Ride
Venice
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
Venice
SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR
SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR
Florence

Our tour guide Antonella was Great! And the girls at the wineries who guided us at each of the 3 wineries we went to were awesome too!

Pompeii  Excavations half-day Tour
Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour
Italy

Our guide Umberto was great!

Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome

Our tour guide was great~ Her name started with an R... Rosalina maybe? Having a hard time remembering it now as we had lots of different tour guides along the way of our trip, but she was wonderful!

Pasta and Tiramisù lovers workshop
Pasta and Tiramisù lovers workshop
Rome

Chef Jess was awesome! They also accommodated one in our party who needed a meal that was gluten free and vegan... so that person made the pasta and dessert but was able to order something off the menu that they could eat for dinner!

Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica
Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica
Rome

Our guide Barbara was great!

Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura

Amazing trip through Italy from family of 10
Italy | Jul 31 - Aug 10, 2023

S
Steve S.
Pottstown, PA | Reviewed on Aug 11, 2023
We just finished a ten day family trip to Italy. The 10 of us could not be any happier or satisfied from our experience. From the first days in Venice, then to Florence, and down to Sorrento, and finishing in Rome. Just wow. Every city brought to it, it's own beauty and character. Team Kimkim did an absolutely awesome job in every facet. Through booking and scheduling our tours, and trains to recommendations, and having everything so perfectly timed out. Any questions we had were... Read more

We just finished a ten day family trip to Italy. The 10 of us could not be any happier or satisfied from our experience. From the first days in Venice, then to Florence, and down to Sorrento, and finishing in Rome. Just wow. Every city brought to it, it's own beauty and character. Team Kimkim did an absolutely awesome job in every facet. Through booking and scheduling our tours, and trains to recommendations, and having everything so perfectly timed out. Any questions we had were answered almost immediately. We had so many great tour guides from Marica on our tour in Florence, from Umberto in Pompeii, to Jess our chef in Rome( who taught us all the perfect pasta and Tiramisu), to Barbara who led us so professionally through The Vatican and Sistine Chapel. I will most assuredly use Kimkim for future travel. Cecilia was our main contact through out the planning process and she went above and beyond. She matched everything we requested perfectly. She was incredible. I look forward to our next adventure and I will no doubt look to Kim Kim first. Thanks so much. The Smith Family

Hotel Reviews
Liassidi Palace
VENEZIA

Excellent. Great location. Friendly Staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Roma
Florence

Great Location, Incredible Staff, Lovely comfortable rooms.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
La Tonnarella
Sorrento

Speechless. The views are infinite. The staff very helpful. The town was spectacular. Just an amazing place.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Republic
Roma

Very nice Hotel in a very convenient location. Staff was excellent. Could not have asked for a better experience. It helped create a home like feel while walking the streets of Rome

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Gondola Ride
Private Gondola Ride
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR
SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR
Florence

Just Incredible. A must do for sure. Antonia was awesome.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Pompeii  Excavations half-day Tour
Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour
Italy

Umberto was so passionate and knowledgeable. The tour was very moving

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Pasta and Tiramisù lovers workshop
Pasta and Tiramisù lovers workshop
Rome

Chef Jess was the best. What a great time with family. A must do.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica
Private tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peters Basilica
Rome

Our tour guide Barbara was amazing and just so knowledgeable. Honestly without her it just would not have been the same.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Private tour of Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura

2022 Honeymoon in Italy!
Italy | Sep 27 - Oct 11, 2022

Dmitry
Dmitry W.
Middleton, WI | Reviewed on Jan 21, 2023
Worked with KimKim and specifically Cecilia at a local Italian travel agency to plan our honeymoon to Italy in Fall of 2022. It was a breeze to plan, and Cecilia made sure to work in all our requests while still helping us find experiences with best local guides for things we were not sure about. Can't beat the ease, safety, value, and guaranteed high quality experience that kimkim ensures your vacation will be. This was our 3rd trip in different parts of the world that we booked through them... Read more

Worked with KimKim and specifically Cecilia at a local Italian travel agency to plan our honeymoon to Italy in Fall of 2022. It was a breeze to plan, and Cecilia made sure to work in all our requests while still helping us find experiences with best local guides for things we were not sure about. Can't beat the ease, safety, value, and guaranteed high quality experience that kimkim ensures your vacation will be. This was our 3rd trip in different parts of the world that we booked through them and we will definitely be back!

Activity Reviews
Pizza and gelato making class
Pizza and gelato making class
Florence
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Best of Venice guided walking tour with gondola ride
Best of Venice guided walking tour with gondola ride
Italy
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR
SMALL GROUP TUSCANY WINE AND OLIVE OIL TOUR
Florence
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Walking tour with the Accademia Gallery
Walking tour with the Accademia Gallery
Florence
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
SEMI PRIVATE - FLORENCE: PISA, SIENA, SAN GIMIGNANO, CHIANTI TOUR
SEMI PRIVATE - FLORENCE: PISA, SIENA, SAN GIMIGNANO, CHIANTI TOUR
Florence
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Vatican & Sistine Chapel - Small Group Tour
Vatican & Sistine Chapel - Small Group Tour
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Capri Day Trip from Sorrento
Capri Day Trip from Sorrento
Sorrento
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO EXCURSION
Venice
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
 COOKING CLASS IN ROME
COOKING CLASS IN ROME
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Amalfi Coast experience from Sorrento
Amalfi Coast experience from Sorrento
Sorrento
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
PRIVATE VISIT TO THE SORRENTINE HILLS AND A FARM WITH LOCAL TASTINGS
PRIVATE VISIT TO THE SORRENTINE HILLS AND A FARM WITH LOCAL TASTINGS
Sorrento
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura
Cecilia
Cecilia Ventura
Local specialist in Rome | Replied on Feb 14, 2023

Hi Dmitry!
Thank you for all your words. This is the best part of my job <3

A big hug :)

Cecilia

Irregular experience, overall disappointing compared to what kimkim claims to offer
Italy | Aug 23 - Sep 2, 2022

Marcos
Marcos M.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Sep 11, 2022
Highlight of the experience:
- Meet & Greet responded fastly and efficiently when I needed to cancel and then shortly after rebook the whole trip because of a personal accident I suffered on the day I was supposed to fly to Italy. They were very understanding of the situation and reacted to my input as quickly as possible. Rosanna was the contact through all this challenge an she was very good.
Points for improvement:
- Cecilia took too long to disclose the names of the hotels for my...
Read more

Highlight of the experience:
- Meet & Greet responded fastly and efficiently when I needed to cancel and then shortly after rebook the whole trip because of a personal accident I suffered on the day I was supposed to fly to Italy. They were very understanding of the situation and reacted to my input as quickly as possible. Rosanna was the contact through all this challenge an she was very good.

Points for improvement:
- Cecilia took too long to disclose the names of the hotels for my appraisal. I became uncomfortable and decided to do my own research. I picked hotels for Rome and for Taormina, but when I communicated these to her she told me the hotels had already been selected and I would have to pay a penalty fee for changing hotels (even though she had not disclosed which hotels she picked at that time).
- In the Rome hotel, I asked Cecilia to make sure breakfast was added to the booking. After the booking was made I asked her to reconfirm breakfast had been added, which she did. When I finally received the detailed itinerary I discovered the breakfast had not been added after all. On the upside, after having been informed what happened (Cecilia was on holiday), Rosanna agreed that Meet & Greet would include breakfast and take care of the associated costs as compensation for Cecilia's mistake.
- The hotel in Sorrento was too far away from city center - I suppose this was intentional in order to provide the guest with a privileged view of the city, which in my case was not nearly worth it. I tried to walk to city center but the way there is not safe as there are no sidewalks and the pedestrians need to dispute space with cars on the road.
- Once again I felt that the travel plan was made by putting together pre-packaged activities, but apparently, there was no concern to see how these pieces would fit together, and how would the final product impact the user experience. As an example, for some activities hotel pick-up was included, while for others it was not. Because of the issue around the location of the hotel, transfers from and back to the hotel were important. I asked Meet & Greet and they said the reason for the disparity was the fact that the hotel pick-up was already included by a supplier of a certain activity, but the same did not happen in other activities. They therefore took no ownership of the user experience as if it were not their problem, just a matter of supplier selection.

Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura
Cecilia
Cecilia Ventura
Local specialist in Rome | Replied on Oct 31, 2022
Hi Marcos, Thank you for your feedback, reviews are the best way for us to improve our services.
I would say that during our conversation you didn't show me you're not feeling comfortable with the hotels, even before we sent you the documents with all the details, you acted like you wanted to book them on your own, which was 2 months before your departure, that is very soon since we use t send travel documents 1-month before the departure. Anyway, we canceled and modified the hotels on...
Read more

Hi Marcos,

Thank you for your feedback, reviews are the best way for us to improve our services.
I would say that during our conversation you didn't show me you're not feeling comfortable with the hotels, even before we sent you the documents with all the details, you acted like you wanted to book them on your own, which was 2 months before your departure, that is very soon since we use t send travel documents 1-month before the departure. Anyway, we canceled and modified the hotels on your request and send the travel documents at the start of August.

As already told, we will use this feedback to keep improving our services, maybe we will update our plans scheduling the sending of travel documents accordingly.

Thank you,

Cecilia
Meet and Greet

Cecilia was amazing and very helpful. Me and ...
Italy | Oct 26 - Oct 28, 2023

Ari
Ari F.
Edison, NJ | Reviewed on Aug 07, 2022
Cecilia was amazing and very helpful. Me and my wife had an amazing time. We needed to make multiple adjustments due to the heat and other things and Cecilia made it all happen. Thank you so much!!! Read more

Cecilia was amazing and very helpful. Me and my wife had an amazing time. We needed to make multiple adjustments due to the heat and other things and Cecilia made it all happen. Thank you so much!!!

Activity Review
Morning Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Morning Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill
Rome
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Cecilia Ventura
Cecilia
Cecilia Ventura
Local specialist in Rome | Replied on Oct 31, 2022

Hi Ari!

Has been a pleasure for me to arrange your trip to Italy! :)
Hoping to have you all here soon <3

Thank you,

Cecilia
Meet and Greet