Don Totu – Dimora Storica

Don Totu expresses hospitality new home away from home, which allows to combine the features of a charming boutique resort offer absolutely competitive price, thanks to a set of all-inclusive services, designed for demanding guests.

Welcome in a secret 18th century palazzo in the heart of San Cassiano, a small Salento town. Its owner was Don Totu, the land steward of the Cito family, the lords of San Cassiano.

Like all secret palazzos in Salento, it is in a central position, has a small façade, very large indoor spaces and large terraces: the privileges of the land steward. Don Totu was a big man in the local agricultural economy, as he managed rents for the landowners and the work of farmers, thus contributing to the prosperity of the community.

He was entitled to be addressed as “Don”, a mark of respect, and enjoyed privileges, including ownership of a secret palazzo. The best part of the palazzo was inside, to protect the good life of someone who worked hard all day long.

From the terraces where the starry nights could be enjoyed, to the courtyards where to rest under the pergola on sunny summer days; from the cellars storing oil, good wine, cheese and tomatoes during the winter to the large kitchen and halls, so large and with very high ceilings, where amiable conversation could take place.

After careful restoration, the secret palazzo is again expressing its personality, reflecting that original delicate atmosphere of elegance without excess.

Everything conspires to make your life as relaxed, as simple and as enjoyable as it can be. It is the place where productive leisure takes a new meaning. The magic of Salento all around does the rest. Mauro and Chiara, the current owners, have adapted the palazzo to the needs of the most demanding traveler.

So, to the secret of the internal courtyard with a centuries-old olive tree and succulents, the terraces for your well-earned relax, the portico for breakfast, the large indoor areas with a library on Salento and a modern cellar to taste excellent local wines, new secrets have been added which are totally unexpected for a small town palazzo.

There is a swimming pool steeped in the green, a small lovely hammam, an orchard with aromatic herbs and fruit trees. Everything runs on self-generated power, thanks to a small photovoltaic plant.

ROOMS
You can sleep peacefully in rooms decorated with studied simplicity: fresh environments, natural fabrics, restful colors, furniture by Flamant, sophisticated ceramics from Grottaglie and unique objects collected by the owners in their trips around the world.

The rooms were built in keeping with the original structure and materials. They are all different and show great taste in the choice of decorations, with canopy beds, ceramics and unique mirrors and chandeliers.

Great attention was paid to the selection of linens, specifically made by renowned local makers, mattresses (Durelan), pillows (Daunenstep) and the courtesy kit in the bathroom (Cotè Bastide). Don Totu can accommodate its guests in suites and rooms.

THE BREAKFAST 
You can have breakfast outdoor under a portico, between the scents of rosemary and lavender, facing a centuries-old olive tree. In case of bad weather, breakfast is served inside in a small room with a barrel vault of Lecce stone. Don Totu offers its guests genuine flavors and Mediterranean colors.

It is a feast for the eyes and a joy to the palate: from fruit tarts to all sorts of cakes; from homemade biscotti to muffins; from freshly squeezed orange juice to fruit blends; from small pastries to oven baked bread; from local Indian fig, blackberry, tangerine, grape jams to honey; from fresh ricotta to local farm cheese; from eggs any way you like them to cold cuts.

Cold beverages and homemade ice tea and fruit salads wait for you as you come back from a day at the beach. At dusk, Don Totu serves an aperitif on the terrace and, once a week, a tasting of local quality wines with an expert sommelier.

As the land steward found peace and quiet in the palazzo after a long day at work, so the guests will find peace and quiet after their tiresome day spent exploring beautiful Salento.

The palazzo is unique because it combines the perks of luxury & charm “masserie”, with garden and swimming pool, with those of historic homes, with ample common spaces – halls, library, terraces and internal courtyard – where guest can still have their privacy and enjoy the palazzo as a whole. All in a modern format, with hammam, gym and many exclusive services.

A RELAXING SPACE
A silent and relaxing refuge, overlooking a vast garden right in the historic center of town, tells a story begun a few centuries ago. Staying here means enjoying nature at a relaxed pace, steeped in the green, delighted by the scent of lavender, among citrus and fruit trees, succulents and rose bushes.

It is an uncommon place, with many pathways and flowerbeds bordered by aromatic herbs and flowers all year round. There are lots of places for you to idle: you can read a magazine in the shade of the portico or sunbathe at poolside in the garden.

Enjoy the sunset from the terraces, decorated with sophisticated furniture, refreshed by the evening breeze. At night, look at the stars, without anyone disturbing you, in a relaxed and natural atmosphere.

SPA & WELLNESS
More places designed for your well-being, to regenerate your body and spirit. Imagine going into a small underground hammam, exclusive for Don Totu’s guests, with Turkish bath, emotional shower and Jacuzzi.

A place where everything slows down, sounds become soft and the atmosphere relaxing. Just turn off your cell phone and take care of yourself, to remove the signs of fatigue from your face and relieve your body from daily stress.

Or you can exercise in the fitness area with the best Technogym equipment (cardio machines, weights, kinesis), with a view of the garden.

SERVICES
Everything was conceived for discerning guests, so that they might enjoy a Don Totu experience with an unrivalled “all inclusive” package: from the possibility to choose pillows to a very large selection of zero-mile products for breakfast; from the evening aperitif to the discovery of the best local wines; from the gym to the swimming pool; from the hammam to the Bose equipment in every room for high quality music sound; from the bicycles to the beach towels for trips to the beach; from the suggestion of unusual itineraries to the selection of the best restaurants and shopping addresses; from our courteous staff to thorough cleaning.

Don Totu’s hospitality offers the appeal of a historic home; fine decorations and environments; large rooms; quality of the bathrooms and the courtesy kits; a limited number of rooms and guests; the variety and use of many common spaces, which are extremely protective of your privacy; the quality of a rich breakfast with genuine zero-mile and homemade products; different snacks and refreshments during the day (beverages, tea, fresh fruit); a night atmosphere based on cove lighting; the garden designed to give room and the chance to rest; air-conditioning and wi-fi in every room.

SALENTO
Salento is the land of the two seas and the wind: the beaches on the Adriatic are protected when the tramontane (N) and the gregale (NE) blow; the beaches on the Ionio are protected when the sirocco blows. A central position, like Don Totu’s, allows you to decide every day what the best destination is, depending on the wind, and to find sheltered beaches.

The closest marine locations (Santa Cesarea Terme, Castro, Marittima e Andrano) feature a rocky coast, with a long succession of small bays and inlets, enchanting places where one can spend a full day at seaside. And after a day at the beach, the hinterland allows the traveler to enjoy the rest, the fresh air, the good food and traditions of Salento.

For those who love the outdoor and wish to get to know more closely the nature of this land, we recommend pleasant walks or bicycle rides, going through the “tratturi”, grassy paths between olive trees. San Cassiano is in the heart of Salento, a few kilometers south of Maglie

BIKE TOURS
San Cassiano is located inside the so called “Parco dei Paduli”, an area of 5.500 hectares entirely dedicated to the olive trees plantation. It’s one of the biggest olive tree grove in Salento, rich of masserie, dolmen and pajare.

A green oasis to enjoy with some wonderful bicycle rides in the middle of centuries-old plants. Don totu is found just some kilometres away from Castro. On the way, delimitated by dry stone walls, beautiful fields, pajare and pinasters, with our bikes it takes only a few minutes to go to the sea.

Where the thousands of shades of blue are framed by Albany’s mountains, from the expanse of infinite inlets and rock coves until Santa Maria di Leuca and from the wonderful Liberty villas of the beginning of the century which make it one of the most beautiful coastal road of Italy, from which an infinite number of cycling lanes start.

Don Totu offers to its guests muscular and electric bicycles of excellent quality (Orbea) for free rides in the wonderful Salento’s nature.

VESPA TOUR
Don Totu offers its guests the opportunity to use two Vespa scooters piaggio 125 for excursions. The use of scooters is free. The only costs are insurance (20 euros per day) and fuel. Don Totu can provide suggested routes to discover the delights of the local area.

COOKING CLASS
The art of cooking is not just simply following a recipe. Each dish is influenced by the creativity and passion of the person who prepares it as well as the quality of the raw ingredients. With our day-long cooking classes, our guests will learn to prepare handmade pasta and other traditional Pugliese dishes and to transform humble ingredients into delightfully flavourful dishes.

YOGA LESSONS
What better way to begin a day than with a relaxing and revitalising yoga session? Every morning from 8.00 a.m. to 9.00 complimentary yoga classes are on offer for guests at Don Totu.

Whether you are a regular practitioner or would like to take the opportunity to sample this ancient discipline for the first time, you will have the chance to start your day awakening and expanding your body and soul.

The benefits of yoga are now widely recognized in Europe – sports professionals incorporate regular yoga sessions in their training, many large corporates arrange yoga workshops for their employees and schools also are beginning to acknowledge that yoga helps students to focus.

The pressures of daily life often prevent us from taking time to look after ourselves. Here at Don Totu you will have a chance to step back and experience the introspective benefits of yoga.

HIKING
The Salento area, characterised by the presence of the sea, almost like an island, offers infinite spaces that can be travelled in all four directions. The area expands into various micro-worlds that preserve the simplicity of life linked to the farming world, to the value of essential gestures, to the slowness of time punctuated between dawns and sunsets, between one coast and another.

Zina is a passionate trekker, and thanks to a vast amount of experience, it is now possible to explore and discover more and more paths, some of which are unknown to most and accessing beaches that are not easily accessible and well protected from mass tourism.

• 1. Porto Badisco-Torre Sant’Emiliano: We start out at the beach of Porto Badisco (believed by locals to be where Aeneas landed while fleeing the Trojan war) and then head north up a pathway flanked by coniferous woods, pastures, stony soils and cliffs along the edge of the sea. The walk continues towards the Sant’Emiliano tower, harking back to its role as sentinel against the Turkish invasions that battered the area for years. The rocky and desert-like landscape sprawls out to the east, which on a clear day offers a view of the Albanian coast and several Greek islands. After reaching the tower, we head back down to the beach. Duration: 2h30. Level: Moderately strenuous.
• 2. Faro di Punta Palascia-Orte-Torre del Serpe: This walk passes through the easternmost point of Italy. We begin in front of the elegant lighthouse and then head up along the coastline, in some spots overhanging the sea amid craggy rocks and wild Mediterranean shrubs, towards the bay of Le Orte. After a short stop at the Bauxite Lake (a former quarry abandoned during the 70s), we continue on to the Torre del Serpe (Tower of the Snake). Lunch can be enjoyed at the nearby Agriturismo Nonna Marta, which offers top-quality locally-produced food, in line with the family’s traditional respect for nature. After lunch, we head back to the lighthouse by way of Le Orte. Duration: 4 hours, 6 hours if lunch is included. Level: Strenuous in the first section
• 3. Il Ciolo-Novaglie-Gagliano del Capo: From the outskirts of Gagliano del Capo, we walk down along the Ciolo gully and then north up the coastline with a stop at the evocative Cipolliane caves overlooking the sea, once inhabited by primitive man. The trail then takes us to the small harbour of Novaglie, and we continue uphill back to Gagliano del Capo through stretches of countryside featuring dry-stone walls, olive groves and ancient mountain villages. Duration: 3 hours. Level: Moderate.
• 4. Porto Selvaggio, from Torre Madonna dell’Alto to Torre Uluzzo: A full excursion through this immense green lung, starting out at the majestic Inserraglio tower and then heading down to the pebbly beach of Porto Selvaggio. We continue past stretches of stony flatlands dotted with shrubs and plants of the Mediterranean maquis. A brief stop at the prehistoric cave of Uluzzo, which is only visible from outside due to the archaeological excavations currently underway. The path then leads to the nearby tower of Uluzzo, from which we head back to the Madonna dell’Alto tower by crossing through the sprawling pine grove. Duration: 4 hours. Level: Moderate.
• 5. Madonna del Lattarico-Torre del Sasso-Tricase Porto: This walk, mainly at a high elevation, heads in a southerly direction, along a trail flanked by cultivated fields, olive groves, and the remains of Salento’s ancient steppes. After reaching the Sasso tower, we continue along a network of dirt roads amid olive groves and Valonia oaks all the way to the charming village of Tricase Porto, where lunch can be enjoyed at one of the two superb fish restaurants. The walk continues to the church of Madonna del Lattarico built next to a Byzantine crypt, which bears traces of a fresco depicting the breastfeeding Madonna. Duration: 4 hours, 6 hours if lunch is included. Level: Moderate.
• 6. Massi della Vecchia-Otranto: amid dolmens and menhirs: A long walk interweaving nature and history, through fields, olive groves and villages, including visits to several menhirs and one dolmen. The walk culminates in the sunlit beach of Otranto, and the soaring expanses that face eastward. Duration: 4 hours, 6 hours if lunch is included. Level: Easy

Rooms: 6

Price: from 285 EUR per night

Source: www.dontotu.it