Fabio Ilardi

We traveled to Florence and Lake Como to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, and working with Fabio made every moment of it truly epic.

From the very beginning, Fabio was responsive, attentive, and genuinely invested in making our trip special. Every provider he arranged — drivers, guides, and tour operators — was professional, friendly, and flexible throughout. The wine tastings were wonderful, and the private boat tour on Lake Como was the absolute highlight of the entire trip.

What truly set Fabio apart was how effortlessly he handled everything. We came in not quite knowing what to expect, and his expertise turned that uncertainty into complete confidence. When we needed a last-minute change to our itinerary, he accommodated our request without hesitation and without question. That kind of flexibility and grace under pressure is rare.

Fabio also went above and beyond with a truly special and thoughtful anniversary gift — a gesture that meant more than words can say and made our celebration even more memorable.

I would absolutely recommend Fabio and KimKim to anyone looking for an expert who will handle it all and make it amazing. If you want to hand everything over to someone you can trust completely and have it turn out epic — Fabio is your person.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Kraft

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location, walking distance from Arno river.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palace Hotel

Como

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lake Como view from the room

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Renaissance Walking Tour of Florence with David

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tuscany Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano | Lunch & Wine Tasting Included

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

4-Hour Boat Experience - Explore Lake Como

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Lake Como to the Borromean Islands: A Day of Elegance and Discovery

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Val D’Orcia & Brunello Wine Tour with Lunch and Two Wine Tastings

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fabio did an excellent job in designing the perfect 13 day Italy trip for us based upon our requests. He gave helpful suggestions and guidance , responded quickly to our questions, and was available to help us with any need during our trip.
This was my second time using KimKim and it has been a smooth and easy process from planning to execution.

The transportation transfers and day trips were excellent and on time. The boutique hotels that Fabio selected were great.

Antonella, our walking tour guide in Florence was wonderful and we learned so much from her. The day trip to Siena and San Gimignano with a visit to a local winery was a highlight for us. Andrea, our driver, gave us so much history and background which helped us navigate each town. We thoroughly enjoyed the visit and lunch at the Winery in Tuscany.
We visited the Duomo, Santa Croce, The Leather School, The Academy, the Uffizi, and the Pitti Palace and the plaza de Michelangelo, the Ponte Vecchio, the markets and more! We also had a delicious Florentine steak at Casa Del Santo.

Our guide, Tanya, in Rome gave us an excellent tour of the Coliseum and Roman Forum. It was an amazing experience.
On our own, we strolled the streets of Trastevere and ate at Trattoria Lungaretta which was a 300 year old restaurant. Delicious. We stumbled upon a beautiful Botanical garden in Trastevere, and toured Basilica Di S. Maria. We walked all over Rome and saw the Plaza Novana, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps ( and ate lunch at the Hassler Hotel Terrace), the Mouth of Truth, the Vittriano. Tanya, our walking tour guide, gave us an excellent tour of the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. And she also guided us through the Vatican Museums. We learned so much from her. She was excellent.

After our three days in Rome, we set off for three days in Positano in the Amalfi Coast. Breathtakingly beautiful! We enjoyed our boat trip to Capri and rode the chair lift in Ana Capri. Our guide for Pompeii was excellent as well, and we enjoyed the winery and lunch sheduled that day as well. in Positano we enjoyed an excellent dinner at Rada down on the beachfront.

Overall, our trip to Italy was a trip of a lifetime.. one that we will treasure for the rest of our lives! Thank you, Fabio and Kim Kim!

Beth, Libba and Randy Sprinkle

Hotel Reviews

Grand Hotel Baglioni Firenze

Florence

This hotel, which has been an icon for years, was a little dated and filled with convention people. Service was not great.

Authenticity & Character

it was dated--needs to be updated

Location

Close to the Duomo-

Staff

they needed to be friendlier and more responsive to requests

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Villa Gabrisa

Positano

Beautiful boutique hotel with a friendly and helpful staff. Also had an excellent restaurant on site.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ca' Nigra Lagoon Resort

Venice

A hotel with lots of character located in a great location. Friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Renaissance Walking Tour of Florence with David

Florence

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuscany Day Trip to Siena & San Gimignano | Lunch & Wine Tasting Included

Florence

Andrea, our driver, was excellent and provided us with history and great insights which helped us navigate each town. The Lunch and winery visit was a highlight of our entire trip. The setting was absolutely beautiful and the hosts were most gracious and fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

on time, informative and helpful

Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Tour of the Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Tanya was an excellent guide

Quality of Experience

Sorrento Coast and Capri Boat Tour from Positano

Italy

We enjoyed the boat trip to Capri- we only wish we had more time on Capri. We had only 3 hours instead of the 4-5 promised, but we thoroughly enjoyed the time we did have there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius with Lunch and Wine Tasting at a Vineyard by the Volcano

Italy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible trip to Italy!!! Every guide we had- Giarda in Venice, Ezgi in Florence, Jessica in Florence, Francisco at Pompei- were all fantastic. They were knowledgeable and engaging and so much fun!! All of our drivers were prompt and courteous and the Tuscany wine tour with Andrea was absolutely breathtaking and delicious!!! Fabio, our trip planner, was perfect. He was thorough and so responsive when we had any questions. He was always helpful and our trip was flawlessly planned and exactly what we wanted. I would recommend his services to anyone traveling to Italy 1000%!!!!

Activity Reviews

Rome in a Day Tour with Colosseum and Vatican Museums

Rome

We had an amazing tour and learned so much!! Carolina was so knowledgeable and so interesting!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Food Tour

Venice

Giada was so much fun and the tour was interesting and very tasty!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Gondola Ride

Venice

My only complaint is it was too short!! Had a great time!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Florence Food Tour

Florence

Ezgi was very fun and the food was delicious!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Renaissance Walking Tour of Florence with David

Florence

Jessica was very knowledgeable about the city history and art. Very good walking tour and very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Val D’Orcia & Brunello Wine Tour with Lunch and Two Wine Tastings

Italy

The entire day was absolutely beautiful and the wineries were spectacular. Andrea was charming and so very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this adventure- magnifico!!

Quality of Experience

The tastings and knowledge of the winery staff were exceptional.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrea was so knowledgeable and interesting- perfect driver and guide

Transport

Full-Day Private Tour of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, with Lunch at a Winery at the Foot of the Volcano

Italy

Excellent day trip! Francisco was a great guide at Pompei and so knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

The lunch at the winery was exceptional as were the wines!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sorrento Coast and Capri Boat Tour from Positano

Italy

Antonio and Giovanni were absolutely the best first mate and captain!! We had so much fun and learned a lot while touring on the boat to Capri! Interesting and very entertaining!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I think my review would be more succinct using bullets:
*Overall: Fabio Ilardi did many things that preceded the final plan and were crucial to its success. He was knowledgeable, patient, he LISTENED to all my suggestions and concerns, he conveyed an enthusiasm for the task following through at every juncture resulting in a near flawless itinerary that was easy to navigate and access.

*Transportation: From planes to trains to vans, all went so smooth. Even though he had nothing to do with the airline reservations, he knew the details and incorporated into the itinerary. Vans were there without fail and drivers clearly communicated pick-up locations when access to certain areas was restricted or inconvenient. Trains were great. Having been to Italy 9 times (most of those trips doing my own driving), I was really pleased with the convenience of train travel.

*Accommodations:
Venice, Ca Negra Lagoon Resort. convenient location although the difficulties in trying to convert a 400 year old villa to a modern hotel were evident. No air conditioning as we were told the city did not allow it until May. That made for a stuffy room so we opened windows where possible. Shower plumbing was difficult to figure out (I wish hotels everywhere would opt for the simplest plumbing fixtures instead of fancy and complex.)
Florence: Frame Hotel. Great place. Great location. Loved the provenance associated with the Mona Lisa, discovered there after its theft in 1911.
Naples. Eurostars Hotel Excelsior. What a jewel! Way past expectations. Beautiful rooms. Elegant throughout. While all the included breakfasts were very good to great, here it was over the top...... buffet was 75 long! Waterfront construction made it a little tricky to negotiate but when completed, this will be quite a gem on the waterfront in the shadow of Vesuvius .
Rome. Terrace Pantheon Relais. Again, great location. Convenient to many of the common sites. Rooftop lounge.

*Activities:
Mask painting in Venice. We all had a ball and the kids loved it. Nice people.
Gondola Ride: Wonderful guide (Giada, as I recall) who commented that the traffic on the Grand Canal was unusually light making for a very relaxing excursion. Lots of fun facts.
Murano: all enjoyed the tour and demonstration. Very pleased that a family run business continues to thrive.
Burano: an unexpected treat. Had never been there. Lonardo(?) was fun to be with and seemed to know everyone. The only disappointment was that we had no real time to spend in the beautiful and unusual shops. We did visit a lace making shop and were amazed at the short demonstration and the intracacies of the goods on display.
Truffle hunt in Florence: Probably the highlight of the trip especially for the kids. Out for close to two hours and back with 3-4 lbs of truffles. Guide was a lot of fun and informative. Roberto and his dog, Dora, stole the show and everyone got a shot with the shovel. The luncheon at La Cantina dei Tartufi was, hands down, the best meal we had on the trip. Beautifully presented with wine pairings and exquisite food. Paola and his wife were the kind of people you'd want to be friends with. It was clearly evident they love what they do. I would go back there in a heartbeat.
Leonardo Da Vinci Interactive Museum. This was described as an "interactive" exhibit and it was. Not as impressive as the one we visited in the town of Vinci but fascinating none the less.
Herculaneum: Having been to Pompei on two other occasions, this was the more perfect initial introduction to the tragedy of Vesuvius. It was much more manageable and not at all crowded. Our guide, Veronica, was terrific, a wellspring of information and great at fielding questions from the kids.
Galleria Spada in Rome: My wife and I had been here twice before. Even though this is not a typical stop on most itineraries, everyone found it fascinating.
Pizza and Tiramisu making in the "In Rome Cooking School" . Gianlucca was a talented, captivating host. Everyone's creation passed the test for deliciousness especially the Tiramisu. Would not have missed this for sure. Tricky to find. No signage, only a discreet number and an unmarked door. Walked right passed it twice.
Rome Tour: Definitely a marathon but worth the craziness. Did not expect the crowds. Giorgio, our guide, had his challenges. The Vatican was a zoo and they wouldn't accept the bar code for the group tour. We had to email all our individual tickets to each other's phones before they would allow entry. Different lines for different groups and we weren't the only ones caught in the confusion. Giorgio, an excellent guide, did his best despite the lack of accommodation on the part of the Vatican personnel. Can't imagine that place in the summer during high season. The first time I was in the Sistine, 56 years ago, I was able to lay down on the floor and photograph the ceiling. This time, I would have been crushed under foot. They wouldn't have found me until closing! Our other stops (Coliseum, etc.) were much less difficult.

All in all, a great trip enjoyed in different ways by a diverse family group. I don't believe any one of us will be forgetting this one any time soon. Thank you to Fabio for his patience, resourcefulness and for delivering the goods. I am blessed that I had the luxury of not having to be overly conscious of the total cost (including airfare, three times that of my first home). And you know the old saying, "You can't take it with you!"

Hotel Reviews

Ca' Nigra Lagoon Resort

Venice

Authenticity & Character

As I recall, this place was over 400 years old.

Location

Convenient to the arrival area. 20 minute walk, or less, to just about everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Terrace Pantheon Relais

Rome

This was a good fit. Close to a lot realizing Rome is a difficult city to navigate. The transportation people made that easy despite oppressive traffic everywhere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Frame Hotel Florence

Florence

The building was formerly an apartment hotel where Vincenzo Perugia (the Louvre employee who stole the Mona Lisa in 1911) hid the painting under his bed until 1917. The Mona Lisa was a repeated presence throughout the hotel. Great job converting this structure to a comfy modern hotel. Great location in the antique section of Florence, a stone's throw from the Duomo.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the old section of Florence, a short walk to most of the high points.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eurostars Hotel Excelsior

Napoli NA

I asked for clean, comfortable, well located hotels in safe locations. This place was over the top. Luxury and provenance evident everywhere despite its age (108 years). Exquisite rooms and location, right on the water. Rooftop restaurant and bar with breathtaking views. Breakfast buffet was 75 feet long and delicious served in an elegant ballroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Learn How To Decorate Venetian Masks - Families And Small Groups

Venice

Lots of fun. Helpful instruction. Many choices and the freedom to be creative. The introduction into the history of the Venetian mask was new to all of us and very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Murano and Burano Tour: Discover the Magic of Venice's Islands

Venice

Great to see a very old family business thriving. Beautiful factory and showrooms. Excellent explanations. Fascinating demonstration. Burano was an unexpected gem. Wish we had more time to explore the beautiful shops.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vaporetto ride was reasonably comfortable. Someone prone to seasickness might want to prepare.

Evening Gondola Ride with Guided Tour

Venice

Our guide, Giada, was great, although while tooling down the Grand Canal with motor craft around, hearing her was a challenge.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Truffle Hunting Experience With Lunch and Wine Tasting

Italy

Start to finish, this was great. It was good to be out in the country wandering between vineyards and olive groves. Our guide was informative and amusing with a great sense of humor. Roberto and his dog, Dora were the stars. 3-4 lbs of black truffles in and hour and a half. Kids loved it. The Luncheon at La Cantina dei Tartufi was the best food we had on the trip and that's saying a lot as we had some fabulous meals. The owner/host, Paolo and his wife, were perfect hosts.

Quality of Experience

The outdoors, exquisite countryside, a fun activity and a fabulous luncheon

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fun and educational at the same time

Transport

Afternoon Visit to Herculaneum Archaeological Site

Naples

A much smaller version of Pompei but much more easy to negotiate and not as overwhelming. Veronica was a great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Galleria Spada Timed Entry (self-guided), Including Borromini’s Perspective

Rome

This is an "off the beaten path" site which is not on any standard list but is fascinating none the less. The Boromini perspective is amazing and a shock to the viewer. You have to see it to appreciate it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No real staff or guide. Pretty much self guided.

Transport

They were always on time!

Roman-Style Pizza Making Masterclas with Tiramisù

Rome

Making your own pizza and tiramisu with the guidance of a trained chef. Then, to dine on the results of your labors. What's not to love. Appetizers, wine, pizza and tiramisu.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Luxury Tour: Explore Rome’s Wonders in a Day

Rome

full day, whirlwind tour but a must if you only have the one day like we had. Crowds were unexpected for this time of year (April). Lines everywhere but this is Rome so you have to deal with it or stay home.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Rome was wonderful and the itinerary Fabio put together for our family was so much fun. It was great to have the same private guide for our Coliseum and Vatican tours (Mirta was fantastic and so good with the kids!!) and for our car transfers. The Fiat tour with Daria was fantastic and our cooking class was the star of the trip. Thank you for a seamless travel experience!

We had a truly wonderful experience using KimKim for our trip to Italy and enjoyed the trip immensely overall. The organization was excellent from start to finish, and the hotels exceeded our expectations in terms of comfort, location, and overall experience.

We especially loved our time in Rome. Everything there was very well planned, and our Rome tour guide—unfortunately we don’t recall her name—was extremely knowledgeable and demonstrated a very high level of expertise. We spent multiple days with her at the Vatican, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, and her depth of historical knowledge really stood out. That said, her accent was fairly strong, and a couple of members of our group occasionally had difficulty understanding her. Even so, the quality and substance of her tours were excellent and greatly enhanced our time in Rome.

In Florence, our guide—whose name we also unfortunately don’t remember—was also knowledgeable and professional. While her expertise didn’t feel quite as in-depth as our Rome guide’s, she was easier to understand, which made the tours very comfortable and accessible for everyone in our group.

The train ride from Rome to Florence was smooth, pleasant, and very well organized. While based in Florence, we enjoyed the day trips to Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano, and Siena, as well as the cooking experience and wine tasting in the Chianti countryside, which was a definite highlight of the trip.

In hindsight, we think some of the day trips outside of Florence might have been even more enjoyable with more time and with local guides in each destination. Andreas and Enne were helpful, friendly, and cordial, but they did not have the level of historical or local expertise that a dedicated guide would provide. For example, having a guided walking tour of Siena would have been very interesting and valuable in retrospect. Similarly, in Lucca and San Gimignano, spending more time with a local guide rather than just walking through on our own could have added a deeper understanding of the towns.

We also found that trying to visit multiple destinations in a single day sometimes limited the experience. For instance, we arrived in Pisa later in the afternoon and only had time to walk around. We didn’t realize in advance that climbing the Leaning Tower requires advance tickets, and by the time we learned this it was too late in the day to make it work without returning to Florence very late. In retrospect, choosing just one destination for the day—or pairing it with a guided experience—might have made those visits more rewarding.

We would also like to specifically thank Fabio, who did an excellent job planning the trip and was always available to answer questions. We especially appreciated his help toward the end of the trip when my mother’s passport and bag were stolen—his support during a stressful situation made a big difference.

Overall, this was a very pleasant and memorable trip. We made great memories, felt well taken care of, and truly appreciate all the effort that went into planning and organizing this experience. We would absolutely recommend KimKim and would gladly use them again for future travel.