About

Katharina Allès Trauttmandorff

Katharina Allès Trauttmandorff is the Founder and General Manager of Trust & Travel. Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, she moved to Italy at age 18 and soon started working with wine estates in the Chianti area. She quickly found life in the Tuscan countryside to be a revelation: “I encountered genuine and authentic people with strong roots and traditions living in a country of endless beauty,” she says. “It rapidly became clear to me that I could make myself useful by giving the estate owners advice on how to welcome foreign travelers and spread the word about their estates.”

Katharina is based in Trust&Travel’s Paris office, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She travels to Italy to meet the owners and inspect the rental properties every month.

Anke Hannemann

Anke Hannemann is Trust&Travel’s Client Manager. A German native, Anke’s passion for travel took her first to France then to Italy, where it was love at first sight. Impressed by the natural beauty, rich culture and gastronomy, she took the opportunity to join Trust & Travel in 2007 to share her passion with travelers wanting to discover the real Italy.

Anke is based in Trust&Travel’s Paris office. She regularly travels to Italy to view the properties and make certain that they remain in first-rate condition.

HOW WE BEGAN…

Trust&Travel was founded in 1995 by Katharina Allès Trauttmansdorff, a former fine wine marketer with a passion for beautiful Italian villas with compelling histories. In 1992, when Katharina was working for the wine estate Castello di Brolio, an Italian property owner sought her advice on how to transform part of his family’s estate into a holiday home for tourists. Seeing a wonderful opportunity to help preserve a piece of historic Italy, Katharina did more than offer the owner a few tips – she supervised the subsequent restoration and decoration of the property, and helped him to find his first paying guests.

Word of Katharina’s talents quickly spread among Italian estate owners. Within a few years, she had a full-time business on her hands, both consulting with owners on the adaptation of historic properties for touristic purposes, and finding travelers seeking the special experience of staying on a historic estate.

HOW WE’RE DIFFERENT…

As our guest reviews show, Trust&Travel is no ordinary travel agency. Here’s just a few of the ways we stand out from the masses:

We bring history to life. Our entire portfolio consists of Italian properties that have a distinct historic value. Most estates belong to very old Italian families who played a fundamental role in shaping the region. Others have a continuing legacy of producing award-winning wine or olive oil. Still others have legendary art collections or high architectural value. Guests who spend their holiday on one of our estates gain singular exposure and access to a part of Italian history.

We offer authenticity. Because the estates in our portfolio continue to function as private homes or agricultural domains, guests receive an authentic behind-the-scenes look at life in the Italian countryside. It’s not unusual for our guests to have warm chats with the estate owners, observe an olive or grape harvest, or to receive a meal prepared by a local Italian mamma. Moreover, because each home has been renovated and decorated in the genuine local style, you’ll feel enveloped in true Italian hospitality from the moment you walk through the door. Finally, we offer you a steady stream of original, authentic things to see and do in Italy through our blog, Katharina’s Italy.

We provide exceptional accommodations. With our 20 years experience in historical tourism, we know that beautiful décor and comfortable furnishings play an essential role in making a holiday unforgettable. That’s why we work personally with every owner to ensure that their estate meets the highest standards of comfort, taste and service without diluting the property’s authentic charm and individual personality.

We promote sustainable tourism. We take seriously the contribution we make to the local economy in Italy by developing historical country estates and promoting tourism in the region. Whenever possible, we seek to generate jobs by hiring local artisans, cooks, gardeners and more. As guests of these estates, you may, too, derive pleasure in knowing that you play a fundamental role in sustaining these historic properties and promoting the upkeep of a unique cultural heritage. It is because of you that these wonderful old estates are able to survive.