Melanie Rapuano

We had an amazing experience using kimkim to plan our dream honeymoon. All of the local guides and excursions were amazing! We got to work with Melanie and she curated exactly what we wanted to sites to see and the perfect mix of excursions and relaxation. We would highly recommend!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Santa Chiara

Venice

Lovely beautiful hotel, close to the entrance to Venice so you don’t have to drag out bags around and close to the train station. On the water, with lovely views and a beautiful building! Breakfast was also great

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Corte dei Sogni Boutique Hotel & Spa

Florence

Great hotel, close to everything in Florence, including the train station! Staff was lovely

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Navona Colors

Rome

Great location, super friendly staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maison Kalea

Sorrento

Absolutely beautiful hotel! Loved the colors, the patio, and the staff were excellent. Located a little off the beaten path so it was relatively quiet and away from crowds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Terrazza Core Amalfitano

Amalfi

Amazing rooms, so spacious and with a beautiful ocean view!! Hard to find the entrance and get to the hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Small group boat excursion to Capri from Sorrento

Italy

One of our favorite excursions! Great boat ride and time to spend on Capri.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic trail nicknamed The Path of the Gods + Transfer from Sorrento

Italy

Amazing views, great experience! Not much of a hike due to stopping frequently.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Cinque Terre

Florence

So beautiful! Wish we could have spent more time in the towns!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A day among the most beautiful mountains in the world: the Dolomites

Italy

Unfortunately had a cloudy day but Christiano was great and we enjoyed the trip!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseo and Roman forums adventure

Rome

We had an amazing tour guide, who shared so much knowledge!! Unfortunately we did not get to see the inside of the colosseum due to it being closed

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Highlights with St. Peter's Basilica

Rome

We had our own private tour, and it was amazing! So much knowledge and beautiful art

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semi private Chianti and San Gimignano tour

Florence

Our tour guide, Andrea, was amazing!! So much fun at the wineries! We enjoyed seeing Michael Angelo square and visiting San giminiano as well!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Ruins of Pompeii & Winery on the Vesuvius

Italy

Pompeii was so cool, bummed that we did not get to see Mount Vesuvius but winery was fun!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza Workshop

Sorrento

So fun!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife and I decided to go to Italy as a "Big Trip." We found we were quickly overwhelmed by all the seemingly amazing places; we didn't want to do a bus tour, and we also didn't want our first time in Italy to be a cruise. Enter Kimkim: we were paired up with Melanie, and she was a fountain of information and extremely helpful. She worked with us through a number of different itinerary iterations; we even ended up revamping the trip because of some flight changes and date adjustments. She was always there to help. At booking, there were some additional pivots due to availability changes, and it worked out great.

The trip itself was overall amazing, 17 days total. We stayed in Sorrento, Florence, Venice, and Rome, and had numerous other tours to visit nearby attractions. We got to see everything we wanted to. Melanie and Agota were there every step of the way with daily reminders and check-ins over WhatsApp. We had trains and cars and boats on this trip, and it all worked out great.

The tour guides and drivers we had were great, happy to answer questions or talk about things in the area. The private food tours were one of the highlights, for certain. The small group tours were also intimate and educational. I wish I could remember all our guides' names.

If I had one tip for others, it's make sure you are specific with the tour outlines and your desires. We mistook a couple of tours as "small group" on the itinerary; turns out the "small group" was the two of us on a coach with 40+ others. The tours were done well, we just were expecting something different.

It's not just about when things are going well that matters, it's also how it's handled when they don't. The one hotel still had Agota's name on the reservation, and we had some confusion with driver pickup locations due to a hotel change. But it was all quickly rectified and didn't hold up our trip at all. A couple of tours were early starts, and the hotels couldn't supply the included breakfast, so we were issued compensation. One of the tours ended up being quite different than the agreed itinerary, and they quickly worked with us to find a happy resolution.

Any time we're considering complicated itineraries in a place where we don't know where to even begin, I would happily use Kimkim again.

Working with Melanie to plan our trip was effortless and all went smoothly. She was very accommodating when we requested changes prior to and during the trip. Our concierge, Lorenzo, was also very helpful during the trip and kept us informed by sending us a message every evening with the itinerary details for the next day. We always received timely responses when we had questions.

Hotel Reviews

Central Wellness Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

This place was fantastic! Very clean. Awesome buffet breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful modern rooms!

Location

Location is very good with a short walk to downtown amidst a lot of traffic and little sidewalk at times which is just due to the area.

Staff

Staff was very friendly and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was spotless!

Terrazza Core Amalfitano

Amalfi

Beautiful and spacious suite!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location itself is close to everything including busses and ferries so expect it to be busy which we didn't mind. Two notable things: the entrance is in a traffic tunnel and is poorly marked and pretty impossible to find initially. There is no actual porch/entryway so the moment you step out of the place you are literally in traffic with the exception of a tiny shoulder/path that doesn't seem to be meant for passengers. Secondly, there is a beautiful terrace facing the water but you will share it with two other guest rooms. The areas are sectioned off but there really isn't privacy on the terrace.

Staff

They were very kind and came to find us when we couldn't find the place. However, there was a bit of confusion because they were calling out a name that was not ours and also did not match that of our travel company. They said they were not given our name when reservations were made. We were also told that breakfast was provided at nearby restaurant with the exception of the first day we were there and breakfast would be provided at our accommodation. Unfortunately, the lady that gave us this info got the days reversed so we were left without breakfast the first day as the restaurant was closed. We did mention it to the staff the next day, but they acted like it must have been our misunderstanding. Not a huge deal.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The suite was spotless!

Dimore di Brando

Polignano a Mare

This is a very nice place to stay. The location was perfect and pretty much everything was within walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is perfect but a little difficult to find initially. The location of our room was different than the office. Travelers should know that they cannot be dropped off or picked up where this place is located as no vehicles can get to it so expect to haul your luggage a bit.

Staff

The staff was attentive and cordial.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was mold/mildew in multiple places in the bathroom.

Activity Reviews

Full day driver to visit Alberobello and Ostuni + stop for lunch in a typical estate

Italy

We are glad we got to see Alberobello and Ostuni. Our driver, Salvatore, was excellent and even called a restaurant to let them know we were coming for lunch. We loved the restaurant he recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ebike tour from Polignano with picnic

Italy

We loved this experience! Our guide, Davide, was awesome and very knowledgeable about the area. We were happy we got to see Monopoli on this tour. We stopped at a farm for lunch where they make mozzarella. It was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Davide was very personable and watched out for us in traffic. He also gave us the best recommendation on where to get gelato.

Transport

I do think a change here may be warranted to avoid riding in traffic so much.

Private transfer full day: Pompeii & lunch

Italy

We absolutely loved this day and highly recommend it! I am not a history buff, but was just amazed with Pompeii. The grounds at the winery were stunning and the staff couldn't have been better.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide at Pompeii couldn't have been better and the same goes for the person at the winery that gave us the tour via golf cart.

Transport

Our driver, Andrea, was very sweet, accommodating, and helpful.

Italy is a beautiful country with friendly caring people. We thoroughly enjoyed our three plus weeks of travel there. Upon the heartfelt recommendation of one of Kelly’s best friends, we welcomed KimKim’s help planning our road trip around southern Italy. Some of the accommodation and tour arrangements worked very well; others did not. Part of the issue may have been that we did not get an Italian SIM card (was that expected? If so, please clarify to future KimKim clients) We only had connectivity on lodging wifi. Perhaps hotel staff expected Linnea to need more help, special linens (rubber sheets?) or not be able to function as a regular guest. How did they get that impression?

Rather than review each hotel and tour in the app or on the website, because we cannot see our individual submissions after pressing send, we have chosen to submit all our feedback in one post. I would suggest KimKim fix that aspect of the detailed itinerary online.

Day 1:
Private transfer from airport to hotel worked well. Marco was a very professional and friendly driver. Meeting at the airport went smoothly and he mentioned that Rome is best enjoyed walking, which was already how we had planned to experience the city.
Parlamento Boutique Hotel was comfortable. Perfect location, good breakfast and Andrea, the concierge, was informative and greeted us warmly. Recommend.

Day 2:
Guided tour of Sistine Chapel: We got there early and the driver dropped us off with only an address where we felt lost because the meeting place was a small, hot storage locker establishment with no seating, so we chose to sit on a stoop outside to wait for the rest of the group to arrive. The audio aids did not stay on our ears and the guide was very hard to hear and understand. In such a crowded place as the Vatican museum, it was hard to keep up her pace and we felt rushed. We would have preferred a smaller group for the tour. There was also no communication about returning to our hotel which would have been helpful, so we walked, which ended up being wonderful.

Day 3:
The breakfasts at Parlamento were tasty.

Day 4&5:
Bacoli: Cala Moresca Hotel had beautiful views. The location was wonderful. Parking was good and the restaurant had delicious food. The staff was welcoming and friendly. Recommend.

Day 6:
Pompeii Hotel Maiuri: Good location to visit Mt. Vesuvio, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Friendly, helpful staff and good parking. But only a few restaurants within walking distance so had to dine at the sister restaurant across the street twice. The food was okay but nothing special.

Day 7:
Met Andrew who was an enthusiastic guide who, upon realizing that Linnea is a strong woman, helped us plan the rest of our exploration of Pompeii. Spent the entire day walking the ruins.

Day 8:
Both of us climbed Mount Vesuvio in the morning! Explored Herculaneum in the afternoon. The two museums with the boat and the jewelry (specifically recommended by who we thought might have been the manager/owner of Hotel Maiuiri) were interesting and we learned a lot about the difference in the eruption effects of Pompeii versus Herculaneum.

Day 9:
Pompeii to Salerno: Mediterranea Hotel and Convention Center. Parking easy and safe. We swam across the street at a beach club. 8 euro. Restaurant at Hotel was excellent! Highly recommend.

Day 10:
We took a ferry to Amalfi and Positano. Fun ride and beautiful views of the coast. Kelly preferred Positano over Amalfi due to the intense crowds.

Day 11:
Drove to Paestum which was incredible! Wondered why more people weren’t there. Amazing museum and intact Greek temples! One of the most memorable places we visited. Highly recommend for history and archeology buffs.
Our accommodation in Scalea (La Suite del Faro) that night was difficult to find and check into because we had no SIM card, thus had to ask neighbors for directions and once found, ask other guests to call manager. It would be helpful for KimKim to insist on or pay for an Italian SIM card for better/more consistent contact. Many mornings we would leave the hotel, not knowing we had texts from the next accommodation. That being said, La Suite del Faro had an excellent location, beautiful sunset, nice pool/breakfast area but we were in a small back room with no sea view. Why? Were they told Linnea could not handle stairs?

Day 12:
Tropea: Tropis Hotel. Arrived and were told by Kimkim that dinner is included but our print out said only breakfast. Called hotel reception which confirmed only breakfast. Wonderful sea view room on top floor of upper building.

Day 13:
Previously told by KimKim that we could not book a boat ride to Stromboli, due to Linnea’s age/medical reasons? Kelly had NO issues booking a “Stromboli by Night” tour the night before. Had a marvelous trip to Stromboli, walking around and then seeing the eruptions at night on the boat. One of the highlights of our trip. Perplexed and disappointed by KimKim not being able to arrange this for us.

Another confusion arose regarding meals at the Tropis Hotel. After we checked in, KimKim asked us “if they explained dinner to you” which the hotel had not, so Kelly called down to the lobby and asked if we had breakfast only or “half board”. We were informed we had breakfast only, which matched our detailed KimKim itinerary. We returned to the Tropis Hotel late the night of the Stromboli boat tour and were asked by the desk clerk why we had missed dinner the last two nights and we said because we called hotel reception the first night and he said that we had breakfast only. The KimKim print out we had listed breakfast only. So we tried to get the missed meals refunded and the staff said they would contact KimKim. We ate dinner at the Tropis Hotel the next night and the food, served buffet-style, was mediocre at best. Compared to all the other restaurants at which we ate, including the local seafood place within walking distance in Tropea (called Angelo’s which Kelly found the first night, while on WiFi) we would recommend breakfast ONLY at the Tropis Hotel. Kelly is grateful we only ate one dinner there and would appreciate the hotel kitchen be notified.

Day 14:
Enjoyed rest day at the Tropis Hotel pool. Recommend Hotel for lodging but NOT dinner.

Day 15:
Tropea to Rossano. El Castella was definitely worth a stop. Free entry, beautiful site. Tenuta Ciminata Greco. 5 stars. Historic building and grounds, located in Olive groves, vineyards with amazing view, pool area, easy parking. Emanueule explained everything and had many offsite dinner options detailed in print out. Would highly recommend this lodging, especially for extended visit. Saw Codex Purpureus and bought Licorice at the factory.

Day 16:
Drive to Matera. Agriturismo Nonna Rosa is located next to a working cement factory in an isolated dry, dusty area. Campers in an empty, old quarry. The restaurant was not open. Innkeeper could not find our reservation because it was under Lorenzo’s name. Why does KimKim not make the reservation under the traveler’s name? Few trees at the location, flies invaded our room; aside from overpopulation of cats, did not think it is still a working farm ,which is what we assumed an Agriturismo to be. Parking, yes but far from the Matera sites. We parked the next day near the Matera ZTL and walked around town, which was wonderful. Would highly recommend Matera to visit, but not stay at this lodging.

Day18:
Drive to Monopoli. Olive Oil tour at Oleificio Luigi was amazing. He is clearly passionate about his craft. Spent 4hrs exploring centuries old olive trees, mill used by Luigi’s ancestors followed by tour of current yet still outdated olive oil processing machines.Learned about all aspects of growing, processing and tasting olive oil from a third generation grower. Only two other folks on the tour which was finished with food, wine and the store. Only day it poured rain and he had spare umbrellas to share. Highly recommend!

Day 19 through 22:
Self guided visit via Ostuni to Santa Maria di Leuca. L’Approdo Hotel was wonderful.

Day 22:
Tivoli. MOM Apartments had a good location but was not a true B&B. When we arrived, we checked in at the associated restaurant whose employees spoke little english, were not overly welcoming and charged us for the stay. We did not know whether it was paid for by KimKim due to the fact that we only had connectivity on WiFi, which we could only access after paying for the room which had a complicated keypad plus card access system. The water in the bathroom only worked if the bright lights and loud fan were on. The window did not open wide so we were unable to open the wooden shades. We had to walk to the pasticceria on the way to Villa D’Este for our “breakfast” which consisted of a cappuccino and cornetto.None of the other breakfast options we had up until then been accustomed to such as: eggs, meat, cheese, yogurt, muesli, fresh fruit etc. Our room was not made up, which was not that important but we did not get more coffee pods or water for the second morning. Parking cost over 40 euro for our stay. Would not recommend this accommodation except for a fluent Italian speaker.

Day 24:
Tivoli to Rome. B&B Hotel. Could not find our booking since it was under “Lorenzo”. Second time this happened. Great location for returning car to the airport the day before our flight out.

Summary:
Thank you for helping us have a good trip. We suggest KimKim always use traveler’s names to book reservations.Total transparency that KimKim uses a sub-contractor (Italy Charme) to book reservations. Most hotels met or exceeded (Parlamento Boutique Hotel, Cala Moresca, Tenuta Ciminata Greco) our expectations, but would not recommend Agriturismo Nonna Rosa in Matera to anyone or MOM Apartments in Tivoli to non-italian speakers.

Also please do not make assumptions about someone’s gender or age. If it’s a legal problem, have travelers sign a waiver. Linnea walked from the Hotel to Villa Borghese on the day we arrived, back from St. Peters after our tour of the Vatican, to and around the Forum in heat. She walked around Pompeii for 8 hours and climbed Mt. Vesuvio. We took a ferry from Salerno to Amalfi and Positano and a “Stromboli by Night” tour from Tropea which we were told by KimKim was unavailable.

We will be happy to answer any questions KimKim has regarding this review. Use Linnea's number: +1 (305) 509-2732. KimKim's services must have worked well for Kelly's friend and other not as experienced travelers, but for us, after letting KimKim know we had booked a complete two week driving tour of Sicily by ourselves, we expected KimKim to come through for us with the specific accommodation and tour requests we had. Kelly is happy for the travelers for whom KimKim works, but we personally will not be using your service again.

Hotel Reviews

Parlamento Boutique Hotel

Rome

Authenticity & Character

No downsides. Definitely would recommend!

Location

Walked everywhere around Rome from here

Staff

Andrea more than welcoming and informative

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kettle in the room!

Cala Moresca Hotel

Bacoli

Beautiful View

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful views. Good Food. Make sure you know driving up the hill is non-trivial so expect to eat dinner there.

Location

Staff

Bartender awesome. Front end staff had assumptions re: octogenarian.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Weirdly large and sterile room. only an ottoman to sit on. But spectacular corner room with balcony.

Hotel Maiuri

Pompei

See detailed review

Authenticity & Character

Location

Could have been closer to restaurants within walking distance

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mediterranea Hotel & Convention Center

Salerno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Suite del Faro

Scalea

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tropis Hotel

Tropea

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tenuta Ciminata Greco

Corigliano-Rossano

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Agriturismo Nonna Rosa

Matera

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mom Apartment Rooms&Suites

Tivoli

Authenticity & Character

Not a B&B

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

B&B HOTEL Roma Fiumicino Aeroporto Fiera 1

Rome

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Wine and olive oil tastings in the countryside!

Italy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All the guides were very knowledgeable about their expertise and I would say Eric at Starbikes in Rome was the most personable and made the ebike experience on Via Appia very enjoyable.Chiro was great and I enjoyed chatting with him about all things Italian. I enjoyed the Hecanleneum tour over Pompeii. The hike with Francesco was great. Napoli was a little chaotic for our party, our gude was was good and she explained alot about the history of the city. We had to cancel Monte Cassino because of the rock fall but still we got a lot into our week in Italy. Thanks for all your help with the daily brief emails of what to expext - I never had that on a KimKim before and it was very helpful.

Melanie added wonderful
Farm lunches, olive oil tasting and farm visits with our grand kids. All of her special
Meals and things for the kids were wonderful. She was easy to work with. Easy to contact and got back to us immediately with any questions we had.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Melanie R. and the incredible job she did planning our family’s summer vacation to Italy. From our very first conversations, Melanie took the time to truly understand our family, our travel preferences, and what we wanted from this vacation. Because we were traveling with young children, it was especially important to us to experience the history, culture, and amazing food of Italy while also making the trip fun and memorable for our kids. Melanie absolutely delivered.

Throughout the planning process, Melanie communicated with me regularly to make sure every detail was right. She took care of virtually everything—hotels, private drivers, exceptional tour guides, activities, restaurant recommendations, transportation, and all the logistics in between. What really stood out was how thoughtfully everything was selected. This never felt like a generic itinerary; it felt like a trip designed specifically for our family.

Our vacation began in Venice, where Melanie arranged a wonderful walking tour followed by a gondola ride through the canals. Our guide, Giovanni, was amazing. Both of our children absolutely adored him, and he became one of the most memorable parts of the entire vacation for them. We explored this beautiful city, experienced Venice from the canals, and enjoyed some incredible local food. It was a fantastic start to our trip.

From Venice, we traveled to Naples, which had been on my bucket list for a long time. Some of our favorite experiences of the entire vacation happened during this part of the trip.

One of the highlights was visiting a local farm near Sorrento, where our family participated in a mozzarella-making class. The owners of the farm then prepared an incredible farm-to-table lunch for us using local ingredients. Sitting together as a family, enjoying an amazing homemade meal while overlooking the farm, was one of those special experiences that we will remember for years.

We also did a local pizza and gelato-making class, which was another huge hit with the entire family. Not only was it a lot of fun, but we ended up having the best pizza of our entire trip—and the gelato was amazing too! We also visited Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii, giving our children the opportunity to experience history firsthand in a way that was exciting and memorable.

We finished our vacation in Rome, where Melanie continued to strike the perfect balance between history and experiences that our children would enjoy. We had a private tour of the Colosseum, followed by a gladiator school experience that the kids absolutely loved. We also visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel with another excellent private guide who made the experience both interesting and enjoyable for our family.

I wish I had the names of every guide and driver we had along the way so I could recognize each of them personally. Without exception, our guides and drivers were amazing. They were professional, knowledgeable, personable, and wonderful with our children. That consistency throughout a multi-city trip says a lot about Melanie and the quality of the people and vendors she works with. She made sure we were in excellent hands everywhere we went.

Just as importantly, Melanie’s service didn’t stop once our vacation began. She stayed in touch with us throughout the trip to make sure everything was going smoothly and that we were being well taken care of. Traveling internationally with children can be stressful, and having Melanie checking in and knowing she was there if we needed anything gave us tremendous peace of mind.

Looking back, what made this vacation so special was the combination of incredible destinations and experiences with how smoothly everything came together. Melanie handled the details and logistics so that we could simply enjoy Italy, spend time together, and make memories as a family.

I highly recommend Melanie R., especially to families traveling with children. She understands that a great family vacation needs to be enjoyable for the adults while also keeping the children engaged and excited, and she did an exceptional job creating that balance for us.

This was truly an amazing family vacation, and Melanie deserves so much of the credit for making it happen. We are already looking forward to working with her again to plan our next vacation to this region.

Thank you, Melanie, for taking such wonderful care of our family and for giving us a vacation we will remember for a lifetime!

Hotel Review

Palazzo Nainer

Roma

Wonderful Stay at Palazzo Nainer – Excellent Service and Location We had a wonderful stay at Palazzo Nainer during our family vacation in Italy and would highly recommend this hotel. The service was excellent throughout our stay. The staff was friendly, welcoming, attentive, and made us feel very well taken care of. The hotel itself was extremely clean and well maintained, which made our stay very comfortable. One of the highlights was the breakfast. The quality and taste of the food were excellent, with a great selection each morning, and the service was equally impressive. It was a wonderful way to start each day before heading out to explore Rome. The location was also ideal. We found it very convenient for sightseeing, dining, and experiencing the city, while still providing a comfortable place to return to after a full day of activities. Overall, we had an excellent experience at Palazzo Nainer. Between the outstanding service, cleanliness, delicious breakfast, and fantastic location, it was a great choice for our family’s stay in Rome. We would absolutely stay here again and highly recommend Palazzo Nainer to anyone visiting Rome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Venice Walking and Gondola Tour

Venice

An Unforgettable Introduction to Venice with Giovanni! Our private walking tour and gondola ride with Giovanni was one of the highlights of our family vacation in Italy and the perfect way to experience Venice for the first time. Giovanni was absolutely fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable about Venice, its history, culture, and local life, but what made the experience truly special was his personality and the way he connected with our entire family. We were traveling with two children, and both of our kids absolutely adored him. He kept them interested and entertained throughout the tour, and they were still talking about Giovanni afterward. He became one of the most memorable people they met during our entire trip to Italy! The walking portion of the tour gave us a wonderful introduction to Venice and helped us appreciate the city beyond simply seeing the major sights. Having a private guide made the experience much more personal and enjoyable, especially as a family with children. Following the walking tour with a gondola ride through the canals was the perfect way to finish the experience. Seeing Venice from the water after exploring it on foot gave us two completely different perspectives of this beautiful and unique city. Giovanni helped make our first experience in Venice truly special. He was knowledgeable, personable, engaging, and wonderful with our children—the kind of guide who can turn a great tour into a lasting family memory.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giovanni is the best. Highly recommend him. Our kids loved him! We all did.

Transport

Neapolitan Pizza Making Experience

Naples

One of Our Favorite Experiences in Naples — And the Best Pizza of Our Trip! Our pizza and gelato-making experience in Naples was one of the highlights of our entire family vacation in Italy. We were traveling with our children, and this was the perfect activity for the whole family—fun, interactive, educational, and, most importantly, absolutely delicious! The pizza-making experience was fantastic. We learned how to prepare authentic Neapolitan pizza and had a great time making our own pizzas from scratch. The experience was very hands-on, and the instructors made it enjoyable and engaging for both the adults and the kids. And the finished product was incredible! We ate a lot of pizza during our trip through Italy, but the pizza we made here was our favorite pizza of the entire vacation. There is something especially memorable about sitting down together and enjoying a delicious Neapolitan pizza that you just made yourself. The gelato-making experience was just as much fun. The kids especially enjoyed learning how gelato is made, and of course, getting to enjoy the finished product afterward was even better. The gelato was absolutely delicious! What we loved most was that this wasn't simply a meal—it was an experience our family could enjoy together. Our children were actively involved, everyone had fun, and we came away with a wonderful memory of our time in Naples. If you're visiting Naples, especially with children, we highly recommend this pizza and gelato-making experience. It was fun for the entire family, the food was amazing, and it gave us a chance to experience an important part of Neapolitan culture in a hands-on and memorable way. Definitely one of our favorite activities of the entire trip—and we are still talking about that pizza!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Ruins of Pompeii & stop for lunch

Italy

An Incredible Day at Pompeii and an Unforgettable Farm Experience in Sorrento This was easily one of the most memorable days of our entire family vacation in Italy. Combining a visit to the incredible ruins of Pompeii with an authentic farm experience near Sorrento was the perfect combination of history, culture, food, and family fun. Our visit to Pompeii was fascinating. Walking through the ancient ruins and seeing firsthand how people lived nearly 2,000 years ago was an incredible experience for both the adults and our children. It brought history to life in a way that simply cannot be experienced through books or pictures. After Pompeii, we visited a beautiful local farm near Sorrento, and this ended up being one of our family's favorite experiences of the entire trip. We participated in a hands-on mozzarella-making class, which was both fun and educational. Our children especially enjoyed being involved in the process, and it gave all of us a much greater appreciation for how fresh mozzarella is traditionally made. The highlight, however, may have been the incredible farm-to-table lunch. The owners prepared a wonderful meal for us using fresh, local ingredients, and everything was absolutely delicious. Sitting together as a family, enjoying an authentic homemade Italian meal while overlooking the beautiful farm was one of those experiences that you simply don't forget. What made the visit especially memorable was how genuine and personal the entire experience felt. Rather than simply visiting another tourist attraction, we had an opportunity to experience a little piece of local Italian life, meet the people behind the food, learn something new together, and enjoy an amazing meal in a beautiful setting. For families traveling with children, we highly recommend this experience. The combination of exploring Pompeii, making fresh mozzarella, visiting the farm, and enjoying a delicious farm-to-table meal made for an exceptional day. One of the absolute highlights of our trip to Italy and a wonderful family memory that we will cherish for years to come!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mozzarella tour and tasting

Italy

An Unforgettable Farm Experience in Sorrento This was easily one of the most memorable days of our entire family vacation in Italy. Combining a visit to the incredible ruins of Pompeii with an authentic farm experience near Sorrento was the perfect combination of history, culture, food, and family fun. We visited a beautiful local farm near Sorrento, and this ended up being one of our family's favorite experiences of the entire trip. We participated in a hands-on mozzarella-making class, which was both fun and educational. Our children especially enjoyed being involved in the process, and it gave all of us a much greater appreciation for how fresh mozzarella is traditionally made. The highlight, however, may have been the incredible farm-to-table lunch. The owners prepared a wonderful meal for us using fresh, local ingredients, and everything was absolutely delicious. Sitting together as a family, enjoying an authentic homemade Italian meal while overlooking the beautiful farm was one of those experiences that you simply don't forget. What made the visit especially memorable was how genuine and personal the entire experience felt. Rather than simply visiting another tourist attraction, we had an opportunity to experience a little piece of local Italian life, meet the people behind the food, learn something new together, and enjoy an amazing meal in a beautiful setting. For families traveling with children, we highly recommend this experience. The combination of exploring Pompeii, making fresh mozzarella, visiting the farm, and enjoying a delicious farm-to-table meal made for an exceptional day. One of the absolute highlights of our trip to Italy and a wonderful family memory that we will cherish for years to come!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Family Vatican & Sistine Chapel Visit

Rome

An Amazing Vatican and Sistine Chapel Experience with an Excellent Guide Our visit to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel was one of the highlights of our time in Rome and a truly memorable experience for our entire family. Our private guide was excellent—extremely knowledgeable, professional, personable, and engaging. There is so much history, art, and significance throughout the Vatican that it could easily feel overwhelming, but our guide did a wonderful job explaining everything in a way that was interesting and easy to understand. We were traveling with children, and we especially appreciated the guide's ability to keep the experience enjoyable and engaging for the whole family. Seeing the Vatican's incredible art, architecture, and history in person was remarkable, and entering the Sistine Chapel was an unforgettable experience. Having such a knowledgeable guide added so much context to what we were seeing and allowed us to appreciate the experience on a much deeper level. We highly recommend this tour, particularly for families visiting Rome. Having an excellent private guide made a tremendous difference and turned what could have simply been a sightseeing visit into a meaningful and memorable experience. A must-do while in Rome and an experience our family will remember for years to come!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Colosseum tour and Gladiator experience

Rome

The Perfect Rome Experience for a Family with Kids! Our private Colosseum tour followed by Gladiator School was one of the most fun and memorable experiences of our family vacation in Italy. If you are visiting Rome with children, we highly recommend combining these two activities! Our Colosseum tour was excellent. Having a knowledgeable private guide made a huge difference, especially while traveling with kids. Our guide brought the history of the Colosseum and ancient Rome to life and helped us understand what it would have been like during the time of the gladiators. Seeing such an iconic historical site in person was incredible for our entire family. Following the Colosseum with Gladiator School was the perfect choice. After learning about gladiators and seeing where they actually fought, our kids had the opportunity to experience a little of that history themselves. They had an absolute blast! It was fun, interactive, and a great change of pace after sightseeing. What we loved most was how well the two experiences complemented each other. The Colosseum tour gave our children the history and context, while Gladiator School turned what they had just learned into a hands-on experience they could participate in and enjoy. For families traveling to Rome with children, this is a fantastic combination. It was educational without feeling like a history lesson, active and entertaining for the kids, and equally enjoyable for the adults. One of our favorite family experiences in Rome and a wonderful way to make ancient Roman history come alive for our children!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perfect planning and execution! Melanie helped us plan, organize and set up a perfect tour of Rome, Naples and Venice with our 16 yr old grandson. She took over with a short timeframe because I started with a trip planner that was not getting the job done. We needed to insure our teenage grandson had a memorable experience. Melanie took charge and the service we received was exceptional. Once on the ground, Giovanni joined our group to insure each day was perfectly executed. We communicated frequently. I cannot say enough about KimKim, Italy Charm, Melanie and Giovanni. We will definitely use again and we highly recommend their services. Thanks for giving us an awesome trip! Ron, Hulyn and Tanner Farr

We could not have been more pleased by the handcrafted Italian journey Melanie put together for our family! From a short list of destination choices around the country and our travel dates, she created a trip that included our entire wish list, including a town of our family's heritage, along with local excursions that showcased all the beauty and history Italy has to offer! The support provided by Melanie and Giovanna throughout the trip made each day's adventures flow with ease, allowing us to truly enjoy each experience rather than worry about constantly navigating logistics. Their hard work has left us memories for a lifetime!

Working with Melanie was fantastic and everything I wanted and more! She worked with me months in advance to plan the ideal surprise anniversary trip for my wife in Italy. She communicated immediately and thoughtfully, did her research to find options and made great suggestions. I especially appreciated her guidance is not overscheduling! The free days were some of the best days of the trip!

We loved learning about historical places, buildings, art, etc. Florence cathedral, Uffizzi and walking the district across the bridge were fantastic. Our days in Sorrento and Amalfi coast were heavenly and loved the day trips to Path of God's and the coastal towns. Ravello was a neat gem. I wish we had more free time there to explore the towns and places like Ravello. Pompeii was the real highlight for us and wish we had dedicated a while half day there instead of 2 hour tour. We ended in Rome only 1.5 days so of course would love to go back and spend more days in Rome and Florence. The walking tour the last night in Travestere was absolute highlight! Will plan to do that in every city next time.

The hotels were fantastic, arranged transportation from hotel were great, and bullet trains a nice splurge.

The only less than ideal experiences were the Murano tour - it was short and a sales pitch to buy instead of showing us the area.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Kraft

Florence

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was 20 minutes walk from center so nice and quiet for us and gave us some more walking. A little closer would have been nice.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Central Wellness Hotel Sorrento

Sorrento

Pleasant hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

No nonsense but not overly service oriented. One front desk person did not help too much with suggestions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Barocco

Rome

Amazing ambiance! Breakfast was out of this world!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ruzzini Palace

Venice

Beautiful romantic room, breakfast was like in a high end palace room, amazing! Staff were excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour + Basilica

Rome

The Vatican and Basilica are world wonders. Our personal tour was 3 hours but still rushing literally. Our guide was nice buy talked too fast and felt like he needed to rush. It was nice to get past long lines but I think I would have preferred going myself and using audio guide but then would need whole day there.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He talked too fast and felt rushed us.

Transport

Ravello, Amalfi & Positano

Sorrento

Absolutely amazing. Coast drive and visiting towns were great but wish we could had a few more hours to really explore each town, get lunch, etc. Path of God's hike tour was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic trail nicknamed The Path of the Gods + Transfer from Sorrento

Italy

Amazing! Loved the guide and the lunch on mountain side! Wish we had thought of breaking off at end to walk to Positano.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip to Murano and glass making workshop

Italy

We thought we would get a tour and learn about glass making. Instead they did 10 minute demonstration of glass blowing and then spent rest of time showing us their store. The pieces were amazing but we had wanted to really learn and see glass blowing and what is done on the island. I dont k ow if they didn't have people to take us around that day or this is the tour. We were disappointed with this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rome Food Tour

Rome

This is 10 stars!!! Wow a magical evening! The guide Toni was spectacular! About 10 in our group, great food and wine, great explanations. We went to 3 restaurants then Gelato. Too much food in the end! I wish we had planned this in every city!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Venice Gondola Ride at sunset

Venice

Its Venice and a gondola, so amazing. But not too exciting in our opinion. The guide didn't do much and Venice is sort of dirty. The sunset part was nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport