Melanie Rapuano

We are so happy we found KimKim and got connected with Melanie!! We were planning for our honeymoon, and trying to make our way through all of the details on top of getting ready for our big day was so stressful for us. Having a local be able to help us with suggestions and give us genuine feedback and recommendations on where to stay and what to do was incredible. Melanie really went above and beyond. I kind of went overboard with questions and we pivoted our original plan for cities to visit, but she was so accommodating and flexible. It was such a relief to be able to iron out all the details, including accommodations, tours, and transportation, (transportation was a big one for us). We’d highly recommend using KimKim for your next trip. Thank you, Melanie!! We had such an amazing trip!

My wife, Lindsay, and I had a fantastic 30th anniversary trip -- BIG THANKS to KimKim as well as our travel planner Melanie Rapuano! We also had nice help from Giovanna, with Italy Charme (partnered with KimKim). This was a special vacation not just because of our anniversary, but also because I wanted to go to the town where my Italian side of my family is from. The challenge? It's a VERY small town in a relatively remote area of the Basilicata region.

Melanie and the KimKim team made everything easy. Yes, I could have booked most of the trip on my own. But it would have been SO much more time consuming...which company should I rent a car from? Which hotels are the best for our needs? Where should we go first, second, etc...? All of these kinds of questions are where Melanie was a tremendous help. She was ALWAYS available...before and during the trip. She listened to what we wanted, asked a number of questions at the beginning of the process, and then NAILED IT with every aspect of the trip -- from the hotels she chose for us, to the fast answers to every question, every detail was taken care of.

Here's where we went:
* Flew into Naples from Atlanta (USA)
* Spent two nights in Salerno, with a day-trip to Positano / Amalfi coast.
* Picked up a rental car and drove to the Basilicata region...stayed two nights at Aura Glamping (HIGHLY recommend!) and visited my family's hometown of Accettura, as well as two incredibly beautiful nearby towns (Pietrapertosa and Castlemezzano)...did the zipline between both towns, billed as one of the longest and highest in Europe.
* Drove to Matera and stayed one night (incredible town!)
* Drove to Tropea, in Calabria, and stayed 5 nights. Melanie helped arrange for a private snorkling trip as well as a cooking class in the countryside -- both were PERFECT and very memorable.
* Drove back up to Naples and spent two nights there, including a walking food tour of the town, before flying back home.

I would highly recommend KimKim. And if you're traveling to Italy, request to work with Melanie -- she's the BEST!

Glenn

Hotel Reviews

Napoli Tree - Lungomare

Naples

Fantastic B&B very close to the waterfront.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rocca della Sena

Tropea

We will be back. That should say enough! It's a great hotel, with friendly staff and a to-die-for view, perched right above the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Excellent location with easy access to the beach and many lidos (we enjoyed Lido Charley for food, and Lido Costa Degli Dei for it's great position on a sandy part of the beach).

Staff

Big thanks to Georgia at the front desk (such a nice person!) and to Francesco, behind the bar (appreciate the grappa and also the fact that he knew how to make a great Old Fashioned!).

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and super comfortable!

Aura Glamping Experience

Accettura

This is owned by my 3rd cousin, Giuliano. So, yes, I'm a little biased. But I would say this even if he wasn't my cousin -- Aura Glamping is AMAZING! If you want a relaxed place to stay, off the beaten track, and have plans to be in the Basilicata region...you need to consider Aura Glamping!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The views of Accettura and the surrounding countryside are amazing!

Staff

Giuliano is a gracious host, and he brings a morning breakfast in a beautiful picnic basket...complete with everything you could want!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The "yurt" was spotlessly clean, and has a very nice bathroom with toilet, sink, shower, bidet -- a true luxury in a camp setting (the reason for calling this "Glamping!"

Hotel Montestella

Salerno

A very nice hotel, close to the waterfront and ferries that take you to the Amalfi coast. Great shopping and restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. They have an awesome breakfast as well! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that we arrived a little early and our room wasn't ready. We waited for nearly two hours in the lobby...the person at the front desk never told us when our room was ready (despite walking by us several times, and seeing my wife asleep in the lobby). Checkin was supposed to be 2:00. We still hadn't been told the room was ready, and had to go to the front desk and ask if it was ready yet. The response? "Your papers?" AGAIN -- this was annoying but we were early, so I kind of understand. Otherwise, the hotel was fantastic!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The lobby, breakfast area, and rooms were spotless. The only downside was that the paint was peeling from above our terrace and dropping in large pieces onto the table outside of our room.

Activity Reviews

Naples walking food and historical tour

Italy

Very nice walking tour of Naples. I wish there was more food involved, but we learned a lot!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Cooking Class in the Tropea Countryside

Tropea

Excellent class -- highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Costa degli Dei - Tropea Capo Vaticano in a Dinghy!

Tropea

Melanie made this extra special by booking a private snorkling tour, rather than this larger group that we had initially planned to be with. So, I can't really provide a review of this trip "by dinghy." Instead, we were on a bow-rider outboard engine boat, skippered by a guy named Lorenzo. He was an incredible host and knew all the best spots to snorkel. Lorenzo also has a vast knowledge of the local history -- we not only had a great time snorkling, but also learned a ton!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

While every single city had a fabulous tour guide that was extremely knowledgeable about the city and landmarks and culture; what stood out the most was the personal service anytime we had questions or needed help during traveling. Le Dani and Melanie were never out of reach and were able to connect us to the best experience I have ever had while traveling. Our trip to Italy was beyond any experience I’ve ever had. This is only due to their service.