She Turned a 300-Year-Old Italian Estate Into a Luxury Destination

On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline interviews Carlotta Carabba Tettamanti, owner of Tenuta di Murlo, an 18,000-acre Umbrian estate in Italy that has been in her husband’s family for 300+ years. What began as a castle, working farmland, and a collection of abandoned stone farmhouses has, over the past 18 years, been thoughtfully restored into a luxury hospitality concept featuring private villas, hotel suites, a restaurant, and more. In this conversation, Carlotta shares how she and her husband transformed the estate without a background in hospitality, the realities of restoring centuries-old buildings for modern guests, and how they balance preservation with luxury. She also discusses what today’s traveler is truly looking for, why authenticity has become such a powerful driver in travel, and the operational complexities of running a storied hotel across such a vast property. We also get into how she built a service culture rooted in passion, why overcommunicating with guests before arrival is critical, and the role of storytelling, history, and human connection in creating memorable stays—along with the unexpected experiences guests love most, from truffle hunting to ceramics. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to Suite Success 00:38 Meet Carlotta 01:48 Vision for the Estate 04:50 First Villa Restoration 07:23 Building Hotel Services 11:39 Luxury Meets Heritage 15:43 Five Star Service 19:56 Hiring and Training Staff 23:11 The Piazza Hub 27:19 Guest Activities 30:40 Estate Activities Beyond Truffles 31:27 Why Umbria Feels Wilder 33:22 Assisi And Hidden Frescoes 37:40 Motherhood And Managing Tenuta di Murlo 41:14 What Travelers Want Today 43:19 Best Guest Moments 48:10 Suite Summary This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lodgify!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Connect with Carlotta:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Carlotta's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlotta-carabba-tettamanti-radziwill-097a5427/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tenuta di Murlo's Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.murlo.com/ Links: Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Suite Success Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Katie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠