Great itinerary, great guides and amazing sites

Italy | Oct 7 - Oct 22, 2026

We were very happy with our trip. Not a single booked experience was below expectations and many were above expectations. We stayed at two hotels in Rome. One was the Argentine Residenza Style Hotel. This had a great location and the room in the hotel's annex was very comfortable. It included snacks and some drinks in the room. The lobby was in a different building and the "restaurant" was a few tables that I never saw used. Fortunately, there were lots of choices nearby for dining. It was more a 3 star than 4 star hotel in services but the staff was very nice and helpful. We also stayed at the Hotel Artemide which was quite elegant. It felt like a five star hotel more than a four star hotel. We were there just one night before returning home. We had dinner in the restaurant which was excellent but did not have the chance to try the included breakfast because of our departure. In Sorrento we stayed at the Imperial Hotel Tramontano which had a spectacular location perched on a cliff with great water views. It had an old elegance feel to it with classic décor and art and complete with a room key that could double as a brass knuckle. The restaurant was excellent and the breakfast was most notable for its pastry selection. In Florence we stayed at the Hotel Kraft which had great food, friendly staff and a cool roof top pool and restaurant. It is a little out of the hustle of the center of town with plenty of food nearby.

Our tours were all private or small group and we appreciated the early access and skip the lines in the Vatican and Coliseum. We had a great private walking tour of Rome and the Pantheon with Massimo De Filippis. He was very knowledgeable with a delightful, warm personality. Maria Claudia from Liv Tours did an outstanding job with the Vatican tour. Gabriella from Liv Tours was also terrific for the Coliseum tour. Enrica Aschero was our guide during three days in Florence. She was a fabulous guide, passionate about her subject and with a wealth of knowledge. We had a spectacular 12 hour driving tour of the Amalfi coast. Our day trip to Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano was really worthwhile and included a visit to the Corbucci Winery which was delightful.

It was really nice to have arranged drivers for the transfers which all went smoothly. We wished we had known more about Italian trains. In business class some cars had baggage racks at ground level but in others it was overhead only which was a challenge with a heavy bag and a replaced shoulder joint. After the fact I realized that a large bag could also fit on the floor between seats that were positioned back to back. Fortunately, other passengers stepped in to help us.
Overall it was a great trip. We were grateful for the expertise of Emily, Grant and their colleagues at Kimkim for arranging everything.