Stade Toulousain rugby player Antoine Dupont and his brother Clément launched the rehabilitation of the Domaine de Barthas almost a year ago. Located on the Route des Pyrénées at the exit of their village of Castelnau-Magnoac, this is the place where they grew up. And the first event of the “new life“du Domaine will take place on Saturday, October 30.
“We knew we would not abandon this place”
They played rugby there when they were younger, spent most of their childhood there. Antoine and Clément Dupont did not see themselves letting go of this piece of family history despite everyone’s constraints. “The first difficulty is that we knew we were embarking on something extra to our daily lives. It’s a family project because we involve everyone”, explains Clément, who breeds some 500 black pigs from Bigorre a few hundred meters away.
The older brother therefore stayed in Castelnau-Magnoac where he plays rugby in the local club. His brother has the career we know. “It is a place to which we are very attached since our childhood. We grew up on the estate which was an annex to the Dupont hotel-restaurant in the village. We are there sixth generation with my brother. We have broken the line of restaurateurs-hoteliers a bit, but in the end we may be going back to it a bit. We had not made a promise but we knew that we would not abandon this place which is dear to us. We had been thinking about it for three, four years. We hope it will please. ”
Antoine Dupont is of course much less present. The tasks are therefore distributed: “I am present on the spot, in particular for the follow-up of the site. Antoine manages more the relationship with our customers. He often makes the first contact”, adds Clément.
– Julien balidas
Antoine Dupont wants to organize rugby camps
Antoine Dupont, newly appointed captain of the XV of France, is therefore living a rich week. The scrum half emphasizes “A very strong family and sentimental attachment. And also a lot of childhood memories when we played especially in the garden.”
If he can only come back a few times a year, he intends to invest fully in the project: “We also believed in the potential of the estate. With this return to the countryside, it is in the current lifestyles. This allowed us to believe in the viability of the project. We have a lot of projects in mind: private events , youth rugby camps, etc. ”
– Julien balidas
Reception rooms, bedrooms, swimming pool …
The Domaine de Barthas will accommodate up to 300 people for different events such as weddings or seminars. The place also offers 49 beds.
To fully embark on this renovation project, Antoine and Clément have chosen to sell the hotel “Dupont” located in the town. And Jean-Luc, the uncle of the brothers, savor this resurrection of the estate: “It’s a hell of a challenge that they took up. That’s expected of a lot of people here. In the village and even around because it was an essential meeting place. May it be reborn, it’s wonderful for them and very good for the area. “
Antoine Dupont abounds _: “_As soon as there was the first site sign, the local population said hey, that’s it, it’s reopening at the Duponts. It still brings a village back to life. “
– Julien balidas
After the work, we will now have to think about managing the operation of the estate, which will host events throughout the year. Next summer, the Dupont brothers will also be able to count on the passage of the Tour de France as a nice spotlight.