Le Occare-Runco

When planning our trip I wanted to make sure that our last stop before Venice would be within 2 hours driving time so that we would be able to turn the rental car in on time. I looked at various locales- Rimini, Ravenna, Chiogga, Faenza and finally turned my attention to Ferrara. I liked what I read about this town and started investigating inns when I somehow stumbled on the website for Le Occare, a agriturismo about 15 miles from Ferrara. I read a review of the restaurant and it sounded so wonderful that I decided that we should spend the night there. When I booked a room I told the innkeeper that we would also love to dine there. Since it was a Saturday evening I wanted to make sure that there was a spot reserved for us. A few nights before we were to arrive there I started wondering if maybe we should bypass this area and either stay In Urbania another night or just go to Venice a day earlier. I wondered if this inn would take us too far out of our way for just a one night stay. All I can say now is thank God that we didn’t alter our plans and skip what turned out to be the “find” of the vacation.

As we left Le Marche and approached Emilia Romagna the hills flattened a out and when we exited the autostrada we ended up on small country road lined with trees and a small canal. The last few minutes before reaching Le Occare we were on a narrow road through fields being farmed. When we pulled off onto the dirt road leading to the agriturismo I wondered which of the farm houses that we could see would be our home for the night. Men were out working in the fields and dogs ran down the lane. We could hear geese squawking and all of a sudden tucked behind a hedge was the sign for Le Occare. We hadn’t even stepped out of the car and I already knew that this was going to be a very special place. The house was covered in vines and it seemed to have been there forever. It didn’t look like any other place I’ve visited in Italy and I couldn’t wait to go inside.

We rang the bell and Cristina, the innkeeper and chef, greeted us with a smile and welcomed us to her home. We stepped into a light filled living room lined with book shelves and comfy sofas. I immediately sensed that this was not your average agriturismo. There were antiques and small collections and with each step there was something that tempted the eye. I couldn’t wait to see our room! We were led to the second floor where there are three bedrooms and another living room with a beautiful Murano glass chandelier. We stepped into our room and right then and there I decided that I wanted to move in! There was a beautiful bed, lovely curtains draping the large window over looking the backyard and an antique dresser and side tables. We spied a little yellow building out back in the yard, which is where Cristina bakes bread in a wood burning oven. As we watched the sun set over the trees we wondered what delights were in store for us downstairs in the dining room…