Chiara Donati

Once again the smoothness of transportation from one area to another went very smoothly and was stress free as I could rely on KimKim! Notes on what to do on our free days helped us structure them for ourselves. The hotels were all just the right level for us and all comfortable with excellent breakfasts. I appreciated the tours that were arranged for us, the small size suited us, and the tour guides were knowledgeable. Using KimKim saved me hours of work trying to figure out what we wanted to do in each city, where to stay, and how to get from place to place. This allowed me to focus on enjoying my time with my son and granddaughter taking in all the tastes, sites, and activities.
Daily check-ins regarding what I needed to be aware of for our next day of activities was also appreciated so that we could ensure being on time for these. Also, when we had questions or considered any changes the responsiveness was helpful.

The trip to Italy was amazing. It was stress free knowing all the logistics had already been put into place by KimKim. Chiara was terrific to work with and very dedicated to ensure all details were put in place. The transportation services used made it easy to travel between the multiple cities stress free. The hotels selected were in prime
areas in the center of town, were clean and offered everything we needed. We loved every tour we selected and the guides were all very knowledgable, friendly and made sure we were safe at all times.

We will definitely be using KimKim for our next adventure!! Thank you for everything!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Punta Molino

Ischia

Beautiful resort! Friendly staff, clean rooms and first class staff. We loved the breakfast buffet with ocean views!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Rosa dei Venti

Positano

Beautiful hotel rooms, located in a prime area of Positano.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Balestri

Florence

Great location and friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lunetta Hotel & Spa Roma

Rome

Great hotel in the center of town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Downhill To Florence Bike Tour

Italy

Amazing bike tour in the countryside. We loved our guide and the route he selected. We stopped at a lovely Boutique Olive Oil farm for a tour and tasting. The host was knowledgeable and friendly treating us like family.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly, knowledgeable, considerate

Transport

Private Walking tour Path of Gods

Italy

Beautiful hike along the Amalfi Coastline.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable, friendly and ensured our safety.

Transport

Full Day Tour Amalfi Coast with Lunch

Positano

The full day tour along the Amalfi coast was stunning! The driver customized the tour to our wants and needs and was very knowledgeable about the area. We had a delicious lunch with beautiful ocean views. Best tour of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver Mossimo was friendly, knowledgeable and a great driver!!

Transport

All Rome in one day: Golf cart, Colosseum & Vatican Private guided tour

Rome

Great tour of the city, making it very easy to get around to see as much as we could in one day. Absolutely loved the tour guide. He was knowledgeable, funny and a great navigator around the busy summer traffic and crowds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Travel Specialist- Chiara did a great job understanding our plan needs and then creating a plan than covered many needs before and after our cruise from Ravenna to our Milan departure.

Driver-specifically Stefano was excellent in meeting and welcoming us to Bologna and then being our driver for Parmesan Reggiano dairy and full day touring to Milan … he was on time and very professional with his driving.

Hotels — all were excellent and met our needs very well for being close to city centers, 3-4 stars and clean. We especially enjoyed the Bologna Hotel Metropolitan for the balcony/terrace on our room and then the rooftop lounge was wonderful evening spot. Milan Hotel De Spadari was outstanding for service and proximity to all of the key areas of Milan.

Guides— in Ravenna our guide Sylvia was very knowledgeable and comfortable to be with and was helpful about good restaurants in area.
Bologna- our walking food tour guide Mattea was great to walk us through the city area and provide explanations about food and traditions. We appreciated his concern about Gluten Free for Mary and providing options.
Parmesan Reggiano-Franseca was excellent in explaining and answering our questions about cheese making.
Modena Balsamic Vinegar-Magadelena did a wonderful job explaining and her best work was tasting/sampling Balsamic Vinegars.
Milan - Lara was our best guide because of her true passion for the history and helping us understand what and why are seeing the items. She was a genuine person that asked us questions and was enthusiastic along with being engaging.

We enjoyed our work with Storytelling and appreciated the daily check in’s. At first I was apprehensive not to have phone #’s for drivers and guides….but I let go of that concern after I saw how “on time” and drivers/guides show up where and when they were supposed to be!! Big point for us! We hope to use Kim Kim in the future for planning! Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Bezzi

Ravenna

Authenticity & Character

Clean

Location

Close to City Center

Staff

Helpful with restaurants and reservations

Cleanliness & Comfort

Metropolitan Hotel Bologna

Bologna

Excellent location, excellent balcony and great breakfast. Best of all was the Rooftop lounge and service

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful upon checkin

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean bathroom area

Hotel Spadari Al Duomo

Milan

Loved the decor and location. Great hotel close to the city center

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Helpful front desk

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bologna Walking Tour - Food & Wine

Bologna

The food and wine tour in Bologna was fantastic. It was great to have those personal experiences and see everything firsthand. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese tasting tour (private)

Italy

The cheese tasting tour was very cool. It was great to be part of it and see all the processes. I really enjoyed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Where do I start?! A million thank-you's to Chiara for an absolutely unforgettable trip to Italy. This was our son's graduation gift - his choice for us to travel through Italy. I worked with KimKim for our trip to Costa Rica last summer - and was very eager to see what would come about when I inquired about a trip through Italy.

Chiara did an amazing job for us. She listened to my desires, was eager to swap things around, add and omit certain activities/excursions/change accommodations to suit us. She focused on the location of our accommodations for my family, timing of excursions, and took care of all transport from getting off the airplane until 11 days later when getting back on the airplane. I LOVE these trips through KimKim - I do not have to lift a finger while traveling. I don't have to worry about the timing of anything - it is all done for me. We are a very well-travelled family, but on these in-depth trips, it is so nice to have a local expert of the country do the foot work for me. Chiara always responded quickly when planning.

One other thing I loved about working with Chiara and her team, is the App they provided me with just prior to our departure for Italy. It had all our itinerary/tickets/information on it, day by day, and it even had a chat/message feature that I used a few times to get in touch with someone when I had a question. They always responded immediately. I was also provided with a personal phone number to use 24/7 in case we needed anything. It was so reassuring that we had support if need be.

All of our tours and excursions were second to none. Private walking/historical tours of Venice, a private boat tour/excursion around the Venice Harbour and to Murano as well as a gorgeous gondola ride in the evening. In Florence we were given information of the many museums and churches to tour, walks and sights to see. Once in Sorrento, we had the most amazing private boat tour to Capri, spending the day visiting the island and boating the gorgeous waters. Once in Rome, we started with a Vespa Side Car Tour of the entire city, stopping off at the major sights, we had a private tour of the Colosseum as well as the Vatican. And again, in between, private transport (all were amazing and incredibly professional) and trains, made this a trip of a lifetime!!

I with I could personally thank Chiara and give her a big hug. I can plan a trip, but having someone who is a local and knows the country, the cities, the intricacies, makes all the difference. It was fun seeing our trip come together in the beginning, and now that it is over, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude to Chiara. I could not have done this without her. So, thank you.

In closing, I am incredibly excited to plan my next trip through KimKim. I tell all my family and friends about KimKim - I am hooked!! Will be a customer for life!! Thank you <3

Hotel Reviews

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

This is such a historical hotel - incredibly small (most in Venice are). The only reason I took one star away is because the reception (front desk) does not open until 8:00 a.m., as well as the breakfast - the first seating is at 8:00 a.m. Other than that, it is a quirky, gorgeous European hotel with an amazing location!!! My favorite was when the hotel manager was awaiting our arrival from the water taxi from the airport at their "pier"!! Great personal service!

Authenticity & Character

It's history - next to the oldest building in Venice.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had an incredibly large room for a family of 4!!

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Michelangelo learned to paint and sculpt in the courtyard of this hotel!! Beautiful, well kept, stunning architecture.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palazzo Guardati Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

The location is the best part of this hotel. It is directly city-center. It is quick - you have to roll your luggage through a small alley between restaurants to get to it (what a memory!) - but that is part of the charm. The hotel itself is beautiful - the bathroom was amazing, but the rooms could be painted/decorated more of a Mediterranean style and this would work so much better than the harsh gold paint and very antique furnishings inside the rooms. As well, that picture of the pool you see is very deceiving - it really is the size of a hot tub - probably holds 6 people sitting. So I wouldn't go there for the pool, however, the rooftop / veranda with sun loungers is wonderful, amazing service for cocktails in the evening, and the most amazing views of Mount Vesuvius.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms could/should be updated with brighter, more modern, Mediterranean style decor/furnishings.

Monti Palace Hotel Rome

Rome

This was a beautiful hotel - much like most small European hotels, you see only the doorway from the street view, and then it opens up on the inside. The staff were incredibly attentive. The breakfast was superb - unfortunately due to early morning excursions/flights, we missed 2 of the 3 we were scheduled to have. Our room was incredibly modern, absolutely amazing bathrooms. Though it was loud - you could hear the noise in the streets at night - but that is Rome!! As far as location - Rome is so spread out - so this was a great location to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain (a bit of a walk) and the Pantheon. However, anything is walkable if you are willing. Wonderful restaurants nearby. Just a bit far from the Spanish Steps/Borghese Gardens.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Murano Island Excursion

Venice

I didn't realize we would have the boat to ourselves for 3 hours!! Amazing. Nicolette was wonderful - super cool and informative! Loved her. Though - didn't love the hard sell of the man who brought us on the tour of the Glass Factory - we just wanted to look and he wanted to sell!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Evening Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

This was a wonderful insight into the city of Venice. It's one thing to go to a city, but to understand the city and see its intricacies is another thing. We love history and learning, and this was a wonderful, leisurely walking tour onto a private gondola ride!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

Loved it - a must do!! Small groups (don't do those huge boats with dozens of people) only 8 people on our gorgeous boat, lunch, Capri, swimming, drinks, pictures, information, so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vespa Sidecar Tour in Rome

Rome

Best "welcome to Rome" tour ever. They touched on everything - we saw everything, stopped, learned so much history we otherwise wouldn't have. Rome came to life for us after this tour. Amazing and so much fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Best of Colosseum & Ancient Rome With Exclusive Arena Access

Rome

Our tour guide was amazing - though I don't think you need the VR experience. We really didn't use it. But I absolutely recommend Liv Tours for a private tour of the Colosseum - NO BIG GROUP TOURS. Private is the way to go - you will get a much better history and understanding of everything - there is so much to learn!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

An absolute must when visiting the Vatican. We probably wouldn't have even gotten in without a tour/private tour (so many tourists), also, she gave meaning to the how/why/art/history of the Vatican, museum, it's rooms, the Sistine Chapel. Had we just gone in, we wouldn't have understood the intricacies of the art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Was such a great trip thanks KimKim

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking tour Path of Gods

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Caldera Catamaran Cruise

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When you are booking your honeymoon you want everything to be incredible and so it's nerve wracking on deciding who to book with and then thinking through the details of it all. We were blown away by the Kim Kim team and specifically our coordinator, Chiara. Our trip was absolute heaven on Earth and it was possible because of Chiara and the team. We were kept up to speed with the details through the entire planning portion and then we even got an app to use so we could get detailed information, contact information for drivers, trip itineraries etc. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Venice everything was taken care of for us. We had drivers everywhere we wanted to go, we never had an issue with a tour, a hotel booking, a flight transfer NOTHING. It allowed us to really be able to take in the experience and not stress and it felt incredible. We booked from Venice to Positano, went on tours, winery trips, boat rides, etc. Then we travelled off to Sorrento and the Isle of Capri. From there we took a flight to Santorini to end our last days of our trip. I couldn't say enough good things about this company and the way that we were treated. I highly recommend.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Corallo

Sorrento

This hotel is gorgeous and has a beautiful view of the Caldera. The staff were so nice, the room was incredibly spacious and nice. Word of caution the spa pool is not a hot tub, but we went in anyway :)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

Great hotel located in a great location in the city. The staff was super nice and helpful and they make you the nicest breakfast every morning. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Sunset Caldera Cruise

Santorini

Most incredible thing I’ve ever done With the nicest crew. It was a literal dream come true

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Walking Tour with St. Marks Basilica and Gondola Ride

Italy

We had Nicoletta as our guide and she was amazing. It was a private tour, just the two of us and she gave us all the secrets of the city and took us through paths and Campos that we didn't know existed. It was an incredible day and to end it with our own gondola ride was just a dream :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tour Amalfi Coast with Wine Tasting & Lunch

Positano

Great tour - lots of driving but worth it to see Amalfi and especially Ravello. Francesco was amazing, so nice and helpful and even bought us a lemon as a parting gift! Ravello is a MUST to see the villa's and the wine tasting was just the most incredible views and great experience where they prepare a food pairing lunch with their wines.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking tour Path of Gods

Italy

This walk is not for those afraid of heights, but if you can stomach it the views are the most breathtaking and best views of the island. Also we were not aware that we had our own private guide so make sure to bring cash to tip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First time using a travel agency or company like this but was very impressed and would use again on my
next big trip. Every detail was laid out and the app was extremely useful. Everyone we worked with was very professional. Chiara and her team were great anytime we had a question they immediately answered. Using this company allowed us to enjoy our trip and not worry about anything else.

Activity Reviews

Private boat tour: Pearls of Lake Como

Italy

Must do in Como!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cinque Terre Villages and Vineyards

Cinque Terre

Incredible guide so much knowledge an amazing views

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No

Wine tour from Florence: discover vineyards, olive groves, cellars and wineries

Florence

Never having used the services of KimKim/Storywalking, I must say I had a little skepticism since all was developed through emails and no real “fave to face” conversation. Well, I’m here to say that this was perhaps one of the BEST planned trips I have ever taken! Everything went like clockwork. From the planning of Chiara, who listened to what I wanted in a trip, to Jessica and Barbara assisting us during the journey…they were all superb! Easily accessible for questions and able to adjust and assist exactly as requested. We certainly were able to experience a true taste of NW Italy and Chianti. All the excursions, drivers, train tickets, car rental all were perfect! We could not have asked for better execution during a trip. I think our favorite spots were the Royal Victorian Hotel in Varenna and the Hotel Belvedere in Chianti. Not to say the Buranco
BnB in Monterosso was not great, just a different experience. We really enjoyed visiting with Mary, one of the winery/BnB owners and the food and wine were fantastic.
I would definitely use KimKim/Storywalking again!! Many thanks to all of you who assisted in planning this trip, especially Chiara, with a perfect 10 for this trip!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!

Hotel Reviews

Agriturismo Buranco

Monterosso al Mare

Sort of hard to get to but worth the effort! Outstanding views and location!!

Authenticity & Character

We stayed in Casa Blanca one of only 4apartments in this winery/BnB.

Location

Easy walk into Monterosso and train station and ferries, shops and restaurants.

Staff

Outstanding care!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Could use a little updating in the apartment with regards to AC/ceiling fans.. but… overall was great.

Lancaster Hotel

Milan

Great location if you want to spend the day visiting the Cathedral.

Authenticity & Character

Very Milanese!!

Location

Other than proximity to Cathedral, might be a little too distant for other sights.

Staff

Attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints!!

Hotel Royal Victoria

Beautiful hotel and location in Varenna, Lake Como!!

Authenticity & Character

Really felt special at this hotel.

Location

Accessibility to village and ferries.

Staff

Very attentive !!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nothing was missed or left to chance.

Hotel Nazionale

Desenzano del Garda

Good location for visiting the main areas of Desanzano. Close to restaurants and ferries which were both within a 8 minute walk from hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Very stale hotel. Felt like the hotel was more for your groups than individuals.

Location

A little off the beaten path but close enough to what we needed.

Staff

Not very friendly towards Americans.

Cleanliness & Comfort

All was good, except for the view overlooking the Audi dealership.

Belvedere di San Leonino

Castellina in Chianti

Love, love, love this hotel!! The views were spectacular!! Very authentic country farm/winery hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like we were part of the area. Very authentic!!

Location

Easy to get anywhere you wanted to go in Tuscany.

Staff

Very attentive!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean!!

Activity Reviews

In the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci - Last Supper- Skip the Line Guided Tour

Milan

So glad we had a tour! Amazing guide and tour.

Quality of Experience

Our guide was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Attentiveness!!

Transport

On time!!

Varenna and Bellagio Tour

Italy

So beautiful! Our guide was very knowledgeable and attentive to our questions.

Quality of Experience

Enjoyed learning more about the history of the Melzi family.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All great!

Transport

Took the ferry and enjoyed all.

Sirmione Walking and Boat Tour & Scaliger Castle

Italy

Wow!! Great tour!! Beautiful surroundings and so interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Truffle Hunting with Lunch

Italy

Very interesting! Great winery!

Quality of Experience

So much good food and wine!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marengo, our truffle guide was great along with his truffle hunting dogs. Great learning experience.

Transport

We drive our rental car. Very easy.

Cinque Terre Trekking & Train Card

Italy

So easy to view all 5 villages!!

Wine Experience in Cinque Terre

Italy

Unfortunately we did not participate in the event as we were exhausted. Sorry to miss this,

Our trip to Italy was amazing! The tours setup by Chiara were great. All the tour guides knew a lot of information and the small groups were perfect. It was so nice to not be in a huge tour group. We had a great mix of scheduled tours and time to explore the cities ourselves. It was also easy to reach Storywalking when we were late for one of our tours. The hotels Chiara picked were beautiful as well! Overall it was a great trip, and having someone knowledgeable plan it made it less stressful and I could just enjoy it!

Chiara did a great job understanding what we wanted from the trip and help set it up to match the interests of our party. The guides we had all along the trip were great and very knowledgeable. They were able to gauge the specific interests of our group and play more to them. We didn't have a single bad tour or guide. Really appreciate the small group setting. We had one small issue with flights arriving and she was quickly able to accommodate handling transfer for the group that got delayed.

Hotel Reviews

Lancaster Hotel

Milan

The location of the hotel was great. It is just a little tired and needs some refreshing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk to many of the historical sights and shopping. Lots of restaurants and cafes nearby.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel is a bit tired and needs some updating.

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

The hotel is in a great location and the staff were very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dei Mellini

Rome

The location was super and the staff were very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walking distance to everything you needed - shopping, the Colliseum, Vatican City and restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Rome

The guide we had was very knowledgeable and did a great job of understanding our specific interests and could easily adapt her focus to our interests. Also was very good about giving restaurant suggestions and other must see things in the City.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Vespa Tours

Florence

We absolutely loved this tour. The company was great and did a great job making sure that everyone was competent in driving. The scenery was amazing and it was a great way to tour the Tuscany area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vatican Tour & Sistine Chapel

Rome

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and again, adapted the tour to our specific interests. Being able to do this first thing in the morning ahead of the crowds is a must.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Como and Bellagio – Full Day Trip from Milan with Cruise

Italy

This is a must do tour. Getting a full tour of Lake Como is amazing and a great way is via boat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport