Looking Around

Apulia Hideaway - Don Totu Dimora Storica

A stylish and authentic getaway in a secret 18th century palazzo in the charming Salento region of Apulia, Don Totu Dimora Storica welcomes the guests with its understated elegance and sun-blushed courtyards behind the unassuming baroque façade.

Don Totu Dimora Storica, is an enchanting 6-bedroomed boutique B&B, set in a “secret palazzo” in San Cassiano in the heart of the beautiful Salento region of Puglia. The sympathetic restoration of the historic building has been a labor of love for the current owners, Mauro and Chiara Bini, who opened Don Totu in 2014 as one of Puglia’s finest guesthouses after an extensive renovation plan. They converted outbuildings and abandoned corners into charming usable spaces and first-rate facilities: a wine cellar, hammam, gym and swimming pool to name a few.

They chose a gentle and grounded palette of soft blues, browns and off-whites, which is reflected throughout; from the original Salentino tiled floors to the striking ceramics, designed exclusively for Don Totu by local artisans Enza Fasano and Elena Naddeo. Pieces by Flamant and Roche Bobbois sit effortlessly alongside local artisanal works and unique items collected by the owners during their travels around the world to create an overall effect that is at once achingly chic, yet wonderfully relaxing.

Constantly evolving, as is the case for the most beautiful of design projects, the most recent addition to Don Totu is the glamorous Pool House, which opened in April 2017. Taking the form of a classical Loggia and incorporating original stonework arches, it offers an invitingly cool covered lounge area for a spot of afternoon reading, poolside gelatos and evening aperitifs. Playing host to a striking reproduction of Matisse’s 18 meter long 1952 Cut-Out “La Piscine”, the original of which is at MOMA, design highlights include 1950’s furniture by ground-breaking Italian designers Gio Ponti and Bonacina 1889, as well as Balinese artworks picked up on global travels, and four stunning Art Deco chandeliers, which were originally from The Biltmore Hotel in Miami, est. 1926.