Emi Carletti

Can’t say enough good things about this company…they made our honeymoon vacation in Italy, seamless and stress free. Emi, our consultant from Rome, created a wonderful itinerary for us with great tours and accommodations, car service when needed and a timeline that kept us entertained but not overwhelmed. The couple of hiccups during the trip ( a train strike and mapping error) were handled quickly and easily. We will certainly be using this service again again and highly recommend it to others!

Hotel Reviews

Unconventional Hotel Sorrento 3* Sant'Agnello

Sant'Agnello

Wonderful little hotel tucked away from the main hustle and bustle. Clean, nice view from our balcony, wonderful breakfast and very helpful and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cosimo de' Medici

Florence

Great little hidden away gem!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Super close to the train station and very convenient to many attractions

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pillows were very firm otherwise everything else was great

Hotel Ca' d'Oro

Venice

Great little hotel off the beaten path. Very clean and comfortable. Unfortunately we were only there for one night and had to leave early so didn’t get to take in the breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Off the beaten path so was nice and quiet. Just over 20 minute walk to the train station

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Nord Nuova Roma

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close enough to the train station to walk there. Also easy walking distance to many attractions.

Staff

Very helpful but not the most approachable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, very comfortable and lots of little niceties thrown in

Activity Reviews

Amalfi Coast experience from Sorrento

Sorrento

This area is a must see. Our guide was very informative. Wish we had more time in Amalfi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chianti colors and flavors: Tuscan countryside with wine tastings

Florence

Amazing!! This is a must do, even for a non wine drinker! Lol

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Antonia ( I believe), was terrific! So informative, understandable and friendly

Transport

Day at leisure in Sorrento

Sorrento

Wonderful to have a day to wander and explore the area

Quality of Experience

Accademia Gallery Tour

Florence

This was an interesting tour but sometimes difficult to hear or follow with all the information. Nice to see but not a must

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tuscan Cooking class and S.Lorenzo Market

Florence

So much fun!! A must do!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Stefano and Thomas were awesome. Wonderful teachers and made the whole experience so much fun!

My wife and I just returned from a 16-day trip to Italy, which was arranged through KimKim and their local travel affiliate, Meet & Greet, Italia. Highlights included Venice, Florence, Assisi, Orvieto, Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast region, and Pompeii. Thi trip was the first opportunity for my wife to experience the beautiful country, and for me, a special return after 40 years, when I lived in Rome for a year as an architecture student. Celebrating a special anniversary, l already had a good idea of the special regions and towns that would offer my wife a great sense of Italy’s beauty and ultimately enhance our romantic getaway. Working with Emi at KimKim hi later her business associate, Francesco, I could not have been happier with they expertise, courteous and friendly accommodations, and tremendous service over the course of 8 months, especially in our final weeks leading up to our departure. Emi continuously went out of her way to address my questions, concerns and/or changing itinerary priorities, in the most professional way. I never had to wait more than a day for updated responses / itinerary changes, and most times the response was immediate. Francesco’s efforts were equally impressive, including real-time updates to our online itinerary, which kept my mind at ease before and during the trip. Both Emi and Francesco were accommodating to our own requests, including one request to change our hotel in Sorrento, after reading FB posts from customers who were being relocated due to hotel renovations underway. They also changed a scheduled boat tour of the Amalfi coast to a driving tour at my request. In both cases, their accommodation was a huge help, especially when we confirmed the ongoing issues with the hotel, and realized that the original boat tour would have been canceled that day due to high winds. So Emi and Francesco planned the perfect getaway and the memories will last a lifetime! I highly recommend KimKim, especially Emi and Francesco for a beautiful taste of Italy!!

We had Emi as our agent and she was beyond amazing. First, she as patient with us as we had started our planning and we were figuring out our different options. Once we finalized that it looked like she found the best hotels for our needs. We have never gone to Europe and were hesitant about using and agent, but we are SO glad we did. We will be using KimKim for future travel!

I can’t thank Emi enough for planning a spectacular vacation. Our hotels were great. Our private tours and events were spectacular! Cooking class! Boat tour! When I had a question while in Italy, I received a response to my text within minutes, I have told multiple friends that they have to use KimKim to help plan their vacation. I can’t wait to plan our next trip with them.

Activity Reviews

Pizza and gelato making class

Florence

Vierri was amazing! He made this more than a class—it was an experience. He is so knowledgeable and a wonderful teacher. I can’t say enough about this evening. This was one of our favorite events of the trip.. Our pizza and gelato was surprisingly fantastic considering our skill level.

Quality of Experience

Vierri!

Private Gondola Ride

Venice

This is something that we felt we needed to do in Venice. While it was nice, it felt like a Disney ride—they take you through a preset course with all the gondolas in a row. If you want to take a gondola ride, make sure to schedule in advance. The line to buy tickets was really long.

TUSCANY'S GEMS: PRIVATE TOUR TO PISA, SIENA AND SAN GIMIGNANO

Florence

Claudia was a wonderful driver for our day. We did not have a wine tour scheduled while we were in Tuscany, Claudia called immediately and got us scheduled for lunch and wine tasting. It was a fantastic day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

AMALFI AND POSITANO DISCOVERY BOAT TOUR - SEMI PRIVATE (max 12)

Sorrento

We actually had a private boat tour with Theodoro. He was wonderful! We couldn’t have asked for a better guide around the coast. He was so knowledgeable. This was one of our favorite days of our vacation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emi and Francesco were invaluable in planning my trip to Italy. As a single mom traveling with two teenage boys I was overwhelmed by the planning and needed help. It was easy to communicate with Emi and Francesco through the KimKim platform throughout the entire process. They were attentive to my requests and always replied in a timely manner. I was satisfied with the hotels and transportation chosen for us. I had requested to splurge a little at our last destination (Sorrento) and the hotel did not disappoint! The high speed train transport in business class was comfortable and easy to navigate. The tours they chose in each city were lead by friendly and informative tour guides. The only change I would make is to the private gondola ride in Venice. It was a lovely ride but departed from one of the main tourist areas and was very crowded. There were other gondola rides we saw that were off the beaten path which I would have preferred. I was able to use WhatsApp to contact the team a couple of times during the trip with questions which was very helpful. Our tours of the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and Roman Forum and of Pompeii were AMAZING and will be remembered for a lifetime. I would advise to arrive at the tour meeting locations early. I used Google maps to find my way and it got me close to some of the locations but I had to spend some extra time finding the right place. Also, bring your own wired earbuds because the ones provided for the tours hurt our ears. We attended a pizza and gelato making class in Florence which resulted in the best gelato we had the whole trip (and we had a lot). This was the favorite activity of my teenage boys. This is the first trip I've taken that I did not plan entirely myself and I am looking forward to using KimKim again for my next adventure. I would recommend Emi and Francesco to anyone traveling to Italy.

Activity Reviews

Best of Venice guided walking tour with gondola ride

Italy

I loved seeing the city and learning about the architecture. I did not like the earbuds provided for the tour. They hurt our ears which made my kids take them out and ask me questions instead of listening to the guide. We came across a funeral for a gondolier that had died and got t see the special gondola that was being used.

Pizza and gelato making class

Florence

This experience was perfect. Everyone loved the pizza and gelato. We were so hungry after preparing everything. I even tried anchovies on my pizza. Drinks including wine and soft drinks were provided too and we socialized with another American family which all made for a lovely evening.

Quality of Experience

Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Wonderful tour with amazing sights to see. Earbuds hurt our ears, would like to have better quality listening devices.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pompeii Excavations half-day Tour

Italy

Guides were very friendly and knowledgeable. I liked how our guide was slow and relaxed and even spent some extra time there. We were able to see a lot without rushing. He made sure we stopped in the shade a lot too. Again, the earbuds were uncomfortable and hard to keep in my ear. It was interesting to see all the archaeologists working on the site while we were there.

Day at leisure in Sorrento

Sorrento

We were able to hike to Bagni Regina Giovanna from our hotel. Enjoyed a day of sunbathing and swimming in the Bay of Naples. The kids enjoyed jumping off the rocks.

Emi and Francesco were absolutely amazing. Emi did a fantastic job planning the trip of our dreams, while Francesco was fast and accommodating - making our time there a breeze! When our train was canceled last minute, it literally took 10 minutes for them to book us a new way of transport, saving the day and our trip. We will absolutely be using this service again and have already recommended it to all our friends and family. Thank you, thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Rome Times Hotel

Rome

Friendly, accommodating - first-rate service all around. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A quick walk to some of the best places to see and surrounded by fantastic restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni

Florence

Beautiful hotel with friendly staff. Amazing stay all around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rome in a Day Tour with Colosseum and Vatican Museums guided tours

Rome

Good, semi-private tour. Guide got into a few weird religious things, however, that didn't feel relevant or needed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Florence walking tour on Medici's footsteps

Florence

Fantastic and informative walking tour. The guide was funny, smart, and enjoyable to listen to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Duomo tour with Brunelleschi's dome & secret terraces

Florence

An absolutely amazing tour. The guide was affable and knowledgable - and incredibly patient and comforting when I ended up succumbing to my fear of heights.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Accademia Gallery Tour

Florence

The tour guide was funny, smart, and enjoyable to listen to. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uffizi Galleries Tour

Florence

A wonderful experience with a fantastic guide. Thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Walking Tour

Rome

Beautiful tour that really helps you acclimate to the city. The tour guide was gregarious and funny - we enjoyed learning from her.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Just back from an amazing family vacation! Emi’s recommendations and planning allowed us to see and experience parts of Rome, Milan, Turin and Florence - both through relaxed self exploration within the cities and small group tours for daylong excursions in smaller towns nearby. The hotels, and train travel she organized made it easy to relax and enjoy the trip. Questions arose while we were traveling, and she was quick to reply - so nice to have a friendly local resource! Would definitely recommend and use this service again for future trips. Thank you Emi!

I had a nice time in Salerno. My drivers were on time and helpful, my guide Anna in Salerno was excellent - she new her history and showed me the old part which I found interesting and even showed me street art which I love to see. It was nice to try some local fare as well and the host was lovely. Everything went well without a problem. The accommodation in Salerno was great - a small boutique hotel next to the train station and not too far from the ferry was perfect.
Well done Emi you did your job as requested. I'll use you again.

The planning portion with Edmondo and Valentina were great and a huge relief. They worked very hard and efficiently to answer my questions and address my needs. It was nice to have the trains all booked ahead of time. We weren't too excited about our hotel choices, we felt as though they weren't really 4 stars, and the hotel in Florence was out of the way.

During the actual trip, we hit a few snags and we think it may be a miscommunication between KimKim and the tour groups chosen.
In Rome, we went to our meeting spot for the Skip the Line Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum tour at the designated time (15 minutes prior) as directed on the final itinerary. When we arrived there at Romaround, the desk worker told us that we needed to be there 30 minutes earlier and pushed us to the next tour that was 2 hours later. After killing time, we came back and another couple experienced the same issue. When they asked to be put on an earlier tour, their request was granted...meanwhile, my husband and I sat there with no offer of jumping into that tour. After I spoke to the desk worker, he said at first that we couldn't move up, yet another worker was able to make it happen.
For our Vatican Tour the following day, we experienced the same issue. We were given a choice of 10am or 11:30am, the only requirement being that we show up to the tour agency a half hour early. My husband and I showed up an HOUR early for the 11:30am tour and we were immediately told we had to go on the 12:30pm tour because other people had walked in earlier and took our spots. We feel that an easy solution could be put in place at this particular agency; simply hold the spot for visitors who went through a planning agency (like KimKim), tell walk-ins that there are possible spots available but they need to wait, and if they don't show up, then give those spots to walk-ins.
Giving walk-ins priority over people who made weeks in advance was upsetting. This was also frustrating because we knew we were in a time crunch with a later activity.

Again, I greatly appreciate the time my specialists put into my trip, tailoring it to what we wanted. The timing and level of expertise was above and beyond what I expected. However, I was greatly disappointed in the tour agencies chosen in Rome (Florence and Venice tour agencies were awesome) -- hopefully there are other Rome tour guides you can consult with.