Meet the duo behind Carta Volta!

We are Amandine and Angelo, a couple passionate about travelling and discovering cultures. Our styles couldn’t be more different. Angelo explores a city without a plan, guided by instinct and whatever feels right in the moment. Amandine dives into a series of “15 best of…” blogs, scrolls endlessly through TikTok, and spends hours online hunting for the most photogenic spots. Even though we often stray off the beaten path and put a lot of effort into our travel research, we still don’t always find those “wow!” places we know so well in our own city: the heavenly little restaurants, hidden corners, quirky spots, and the unique things locals fill their days with.

In May 2025, we visited Vienna, armed with tips from someone who had once studied there on Erasmus. After some hesitation, we decided to give one of their recommendations a try. It didn’t seem to add up, and indeed, the place had changed entirely: expensive, poor quality, and lacking character. While waiting for a mediocre drink, we scrolled through Google Maps in search of alternatives. Nothing stood out. We asked fellow tourists for advice, but unfortunately, we had no luck there either. After a lot of wandering, we finally stumbled upon a fantastic little bar tucked away in a side street: great cocktails at honest prices, run by wonderful people, and – something that became quickly clear – loved by the locals.

All good, but we had wasted a big part of our evening searching, scrolling, and wandering around. And it wasn’t the first time! We’ve lost count of how often we relied on “4.5 stars or higher” only to find on-site that the reviews had been purchased. A free drink in exchange for 5 stars. Some influencers get paid to hype so-called phenomenal spots, but when you actually get there, “Instagram vs. Reality” hits hard. It’s becoming more difficult to tell the difference between a trustworthy travel blogger and an “anything” blogger who, like most of the world, likes to travel. And then there’s ChatGPT. Sure, it gives you a flood of superlatives, but then you discover the place has been closed for years. The 2017 blog post used as a source was never updated. Surprising? Not really. Today, it’s not difficult to find anything online, but quality.

Entrepreneurial as we are, we decided to do something about it. What if…the solution was actually pretty obvious? What if the only people who truly know a city are the ones who live there, work there, have family there and visit it on a regular basis? They know how the city evolves: what’s opening or closing, which places are getting better or worse. So we built a platform where travelers can find curated travel maps created and managed by locals and city insiders. And just like that, Carta Volta was born.