There's a place where the light slowly settles on the olive trees, where the wind smells of the sea even when the sea is far away. A place you don't just visit, you breathe it, you listen to it, you carry it in your heart. I call it home. You will call it Dimora Donna Rita.
The light of Dimora Donna Rita is the first thing you see when you cross the gate. Not a harsh glare, but a caress filtering through the silvery leaves of hundreds of olive trees. Each branch tells the story of a century of wind and seasons, and the air smells of earth and salt, even if the sea is still far away.
Then, silence. Not an empty silence, but a living one: the rustling of leaves, the song of cicadas, the gentle buzz of bees among the wildflowers. It's the sound of time passing more slowly here, oblivious to clocks and rhythms.
And in front of you, she appears: Dimora Donna Rita. Pale stone walls, smoothed by the sun. Arches and vaults that breathe history. It's a house that seems to have recognized you, as if it already knew you were coming.
Once, in the late 19th century, it was the refuge of a noble family: large rooms, star-shaped ceilings, cool shadows on summer afternoons. Then, the silence of the years. Until one day, Paolo and Loredana decided to listen to the heartbeat of these walls. He, a man of travel and determination, returned to where his heart called him. She, a guardian of elegance and precision, capable of bringing her work and her life here. Together, they rekindled every light.
Now, the Dimora opens its doors to those seeking a haven of beauty and peace. Three bedrooms and a studio apartment, each with its own soul, furnished like the pages of a novel: welcoming colors, furniture that speaks volumes, ceilings that seem to protect dreams.
Mornings begin with the scent of coffee and the warmth of freshly toasted bread. Hearty breakfasts, fruit that tastes of the sun, desserts that speak of home. Outside, the olive grove beckons you to stay; but Lecce is only ten minutes away, the Adriatic Sea twenty, and the Ionian Sea thirty.
Here, you can spend the day as you wish: a stroll among the trees, a lazy afternoon on the patio among sofas and armchairs, a book read by the fireplace in winter. And when the sun becomes intense, the hot tub envelops you like a cool, light embrace.
Dimora Donna Rita is more than just a bed and breakfast. It's an encounter with light, with silence, with the art of living slowly. And when you leave, a strange feeling lingers: that of having left a piece of your heart behind...and already longing to return for it.
"I'll wait for you amidst the birdsong and the whispering of the olive trees. I am Dimora Donna Rita, and here time doesn't count, it's about living. "