About us

History

Since its origin, the palace has been the residence of the Cito family, an ancient Campanian noble family living in Salerno in the 13th century and later awarded the title of Marquis by King Charles III of Bourbon in the person of Baldassarre Cito. Some descendants moved around 1500 from their homeland first to the Terra di Bari (Bitonto) and later to the Terra d’ Otranto, settling in San Cassiano. They were engaged in the cultivation and production of olive oil, giving birth around 1820 to one of the most important farms in Salento.

The Tenuta Tresca farm, named after the estate where centuries-old olive trees together with new cultivars produce an organic extra virgin olive oil, is now in its fifth generation.

The family has always lived in the building, making it the centre of its economic activity. In 2020, the property restored the oldest part of the XIX century building, home to an old oil mill, an underground winery and a warehouse for agricultural products such as barrels, oil, wine and tools, sign of an entrepreneurial activity that has continued over time and is still the aim and passion of the family.

These are very important spaces from an architectural point of view, with star and barrel vaults, walls punctuated with arches and architraves and significant elements in Lecce stone. The restoration was carried out with the maximum fidelity to the original details that recall the ancient agricultural use of the rooms.

The subdivision of spaces has been respected and redesigned to transform the rooms into exclusive guestrooms and suites that preserve the atmosphere and charm of the past.