Born in Chad, he arrived in Italy after facing three crossings of the Mediterranean Sea in which he saw many people drown. He has not returned to Africa since and, therefore, does not see his mother, whom he manages to hear from occasionally via telephone. He arrives in Apulia where he takes up residence and begins working as a waiter during the summer seasons, while during the other months he is forced to make do by lending his labor in the fields. During one of the summer seasons he meets the Samperi family and a sympathetic relationship is immediately born, thanks in part to Fathel's strong empathy. Every summer they meet several times in that restaurant and thus sympathy turns into friendship. When Pinotta and Renato buy the cottage in 2020, they propose to Fathel to be with them in the new adventure they are embarking on. The boy enthusiastically accepts and enters from the early stages.
In the spring of 2021 at the start of renovations Fathel began to follow the birth of Ddò Relais and would see it grow stone by stone. A little more than a year later, work on the cottage ends and Fathel-who was finally able to earn a decent year-round monthly salary-has gained the trust and esteem of the owner of the construction company. The latter asks Pinotta and Renato to leave him in the enterprise, and the two reply that the boy must decide about his future. And Fathel's future is still at Ddò Relais where he will move permanently into the new apartment inside the villa. Since then, Fathel has been the professional waiter during the hours when breakfast is served to guests at Ddò Relais and the caretaker/maintainer of the facility during other hours and throughout the year. For Pinotta and Renato, he is part of the family.
Since then, Fathel-absolutely unschooled-has first of all learned that it is his right "not to have understood something" as Pinotta had brilliantly understood after their first weeks together: the boy had, in fact, matured the idea that declaring that he did not understand would be cause for losing his job. Pinotta and Renato, with the help of a kindly local lawyer, succeeded in getting him the status of a foreigner legally residing in Italy that he was entitled to, managed to obtain a CIAD passport through that country's embassy in Paris, took an Italian language course, and learned how to use tools (motor and electric) to maintain the vast green areas of the property. He got his driver's license and a few weeks ago purchased a car making himself permanently independent. In short, properly and finally driven, he is slowly achieving that social redemption that is rightfully his. You can find out the rest of the story by visiting Ddò Relais and talking directly with Fathel.
Ddò Relais consists of the careful restoration of a Lamia and retains all the spirit of ancient Apulia and highlights the harmony of form and volume, the compact white stone walls, arches and vaulted ceilings. The property overlooks the estate vineyard on one side and the large, centuries-old oak trees on the other. The Retreat features fine finishes and covers a total area of 1200 square meters with a terrace and outdoor living of 100 square meters.
The 5 rooms (La Bicocca, Il Fico, Il Cellaio and L'Angolo + the Deluxe Il Forno, born from the restoration of the old stone oven) tell of the great attention to detail, with furniture made to original design and equipped with every comfort.
The estate also offers the Villa, an ambient dedicated to those who want privacy and exclusivity, consisting of contemporary architecture has an independent entrance, parking, private pool and solarium and can host up to 6 people.
Ddò Relais pays great attention to respecting the environment, providing guests with muscle and pedal-assisted bicycles to explore the area and electric car recharging stations within the property itself.
Thanks to the company's founding values, Ddò Relais is an ideal base for getting to know the local area and community.
