I went to Florence and Rome with my adult son in October 2026 in a trip planned by Erica and KimKim. We had previously used KimKIm for a trip to Iceland in April 2025. Once again, the experience was fabulous. The booked tours were fun and sparked curiosity. The interactions with everyone, including the cab drivers was terrific. It was a completely worry free experience. My son and I both remarked that the pacing of the trip was excellent, with a good mix of scheduled activities and free time...
Read more
I went to Florence and Rome with my adult son in October 2026 in a trip planned by Erica and KimKim. We had previously used KimKIm for a trip to Iceland in April 2025. Once again, the experience was fabulous. The booked tours were fun and sparked curiosity. The interactions with everyone, including the cab drivers was terrific. It was a completely worry free experience. My son and I both remarked that the pacing of the trip was excellent, with a good mix of scheduled activities and free time to explore on our own.
Want to specifically call out Manuel who was our guide on our hike in Fiesole. He was incredibly knowledgeable about flora and fauna, passionate about nature and just completely delightful. We like to hike and found this hike pleasant, moderately challenging and a nice break from being in cities.
I want to give a shoutout to Mattei who was the cab driver who rescued us when we got off the train in Rome at the wrong station. I texted him, said what happened and his reply was "be there in 10 mins." Amazing.
Our sunset food tour with John Paul was fabulous on multiple levels (suppli ... yum!) but he encouraged interaction among those on the tour and that proved delightful. He also recommended a hike up to Janinculum Hill for views of the city, which we did the next day.
Our tour of Florence with Erica, the Vatican with Gaia (who coped with bad weather and long lines with grace), and the Colisseum with Julia were also terrific.
We stayed at Antica Torre in Florence, which was ideally situated, historic and beautiful. Our room was on the small side but beautifully appointed with a view of the Duomo, so hard to complain. Also, the breakfast was outstanding and afforded a beautiful view of the city. In Rome we stayed at Hotel Colors Navona, which was more modern, featured a bigger room. It was well located, had less charm and the breakfast was a fairly typical hotel breakfast. But none of that should be construed as a complaint. It was more than fine.
Hotel Reviews
A very nice more modern hotel well situated in Rome. Walkable to Pantheon (10 minutes); Trevi fountain (15 minutes), Vatican (30 minutes); Colosseum (30 minutes). Room was spacious, well appointed. We booked a cab through the front desk the day before to take us to the Vatican because we were worried about rain. But the morning of, the cab didn't show up and the clerk said there was nothing she could do. We wound up walking and that was fine but added stress to the morning. The breakfast was a typical hotel breakfast. Fine but nothing memorable.
Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni
Florence
Hotel was charming, as is Florence in general. It featured a perfect location, staff was helpful. Room was a little on the small side but beautifully appointed. Breakfast was first rate, from the food, the service and the setting.
Activity Reviews
Food & Wine Sunset Walk in Trastevere
Rome
John Paul was our guide for this tour which was a surprising highlight of the trip. He was incredibly knowledgeable about Rome, history, and food. He encouraged participants to interact with each other which added intimacy to the experience. He introduced us to suppli, which was incredible both in taste and in its story. He told us what to look for between authentic and "tourist trap" eateries. And he recommended the view from Janiculum Hill, which we did the next day during a free afternoon.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Colosseum & Roman Forum Visit with Arena Floor Access
Rome
This is was great. Julia was a knowledgeable and funny guide. I didn't realize that this tour would take us to Palatine Hill so that was an added bonus.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Vatican & Sistine Chapel Highlights with St. Peter's Basilica
Rome
Gaia the tour guide was very good in dealing with long lines and bad weather. The only downside of this tour was that Pope Leo was using St. Peter's so we did not get to go inside the basilica, but that is not an issue with the tour or the guide. Gaia's explanation of the amazing works of art in the Vatican museum was exceptional.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Fiesole Hike with Wine & Lunch
Florence
Manuel was a wonderful guide, incredibly knowledgeable about flora and fauna and great about sharing his experiences with olive harvesting in his family. The hike was moderately challenging which was great for us (a 62-year-old woman and my 30-year-old son), the views breathtaking -- the secret bench is just beyond words. Lunch at Fattoria Di Maiano was one of our best meals, the setting was divine. This felt like a bit of an "off the beaten path" excursion and is highly recommended.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private City Walk with Michelangelo's David
Florence
Erica, the guide, was lovely and engaging. The way she navigated the Accademie was exceptional and in addition to getting us into see the David without a line, she showed us some other exceptional highlights, including the Stratovarius collection.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Erica Gerakos
