In 1967, a young Zagreb journalist, Dagmar Gebauer, came to visit the island of Hvar and in meeting the charismatic Toto she was irresistibly drawn to his dream. They married and she became a part of Palmižana and the Meneghello family endeavour and its tradition of hospitality. A tradition built over a century of selfless hardship, turning the arid island stone into one of the finest and richest exotic gardens in the Adriatic.

In the ruins of the century-long tradition of country-house tourism and all its blessings, they continued to live together far from civilization, without links to the mainland, water mains or electricity supplies. Constantly under threat that the Communist regime would destroy them, Toto’s policies rested on his stifling individuality and private initiative in the name of a faceless uniformity. 
Their aim was to provide a refuge for those who wanted a break from civilization, a place in which they could find themselves once more, find rest for body and soul. In achieving this, the Meneghello family, Toto, Dagmar and their children Eugen-Toto, Romina and Tarin strove to enhance and enrich Palmižana providing it with a new dimension and appeal: that of the arts and culture.