Welcome to Dozza

We are a young Anglo-Italian family who love meeting people from all over the world and introducing them to life on and around our little farm stay. Our rural retreat offers affordable accommodation, meals and activities for backpackers, campers and all independent travellers who want to see, hear, touch, smell and of course taste an authentic slice of the Italian countryside.

Thank you for offering people this opportunity to see Emilia-Romagna with different eyes - Rebecka Domig, 20, Austria

Sincere people providing a special experience for travellers - Craig Sologinkin, 25, Australia

Welcome to Dozza

We are a young Anglo-Italian family who love meeting people from all over the world and introducing them to life on and around our little farm stay. Our rural retreat offers affordable accommodation, meals and activities for backpackers, campers and all independent travellers who want to see, hear, touch, smell and of course taste an authentic slice of the Italian countryside.

Thank you for offering people this opportunity to see Emilia-Romagna with different eyes - Rebecka Domig, 20, Austria

Sincere people providing a special experience for travellers - Craig Sologinkin, 25, Australia

Our farm stay is located on the sunny, south-facing side of a valley in the foothills of the Apennines. It is just three kilometres south of the Via Emilia, originally a Roman road, between Bologna and Imola. This unique corner of the Emilia Romagna region offers beautiful views across fields of grapevines and fruit trees, and up to the medieval, walled hilltop village of Dozza.

Contact Us

Please email us at info@farmstayitaly.org to enquire about availability and arrange a stay on the farm. Alternatively telephone Victoria and Davide on +39 0542 678188 (home) or Victoria on +39 333 3121 646 (mobile).

How to find us

By bus: Catch the 101 bus that runs between Bologna and Imola and get off at the 'Café Nuevo' stop between Toscanella and Piratello (1 hour from Bologna, 10 minutes from Imola). The stop is about 3 km from the farm.

By train: The nearest station is in Imola, which has direct connections from Bologna, Ravenna, Rimini and Ancona. Go to Trenitalia

We are happy to come and collect you from either the bus stop or Imola train station.

Nearest airports: Bologna, with flights from many European cities, including Ryanair connections from London Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Frankfurt Hahn, Dublin, Paris, Oslo, Barcelona and Brussels. Look for Bologna (BLQ) on the Ryanair website.

Close to bus and railway stations, it is also a good base for exploring Italy - Jennifer Taylor, 20, UK

This is a beautiful part of the world - Darragh Kelly, 37, Ireland

Our Farm

Our family-run farm is set on 1.5 hectares, or 3.7 acres, of land, much of which is planted with Sangiovese grapevines. We also have cherry, apricot, fig, walnut and olive trees and a varied vegetable plot that provides us with lettuce, spinach, strawberries, onions, garlic, peas, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, peppers, aubergines and melons at different times during the year.

It is such a great experience learning about the Italian culture, getting close to different animals and plants - Vincent Wong and Bena Chan, 31 and 29, Hong Kong

This farm is really nice, located in a beautiful landscape - Maren Franz, 20, Germany

The farm animals include up to 10 head of beef cattle for our own consumption and sale, a few goats and chickens and a couple of pigs for most of the year. We have two pet dogs and a yard cat too.

We aim to be as self-sufficient as we can and wherever possible meals are made using our own meat, vegetables, eggs and fruit, and served with red wine produced from our grapes. Any produce we do not use ourselves is sold to friends and acquaintances. Guests may also purchase our wine or homemade preserves subject to availability.

“You’ll be sleeping in the barn,” said Pilar, as she led me through the courtyard of Casa da Curiscada to my sleeping quarters.

After a full day of hiking I had hoped for something more comfortable than a barn, but with my aching feet I was willing to sleep anywhere. And this home has a long history of offering refuge to travelers thanks to its location on the historic trail known as El Camino de Santiago or The Way of St. James.

For more than 12 centuries pilgrims have been making the 700-km trek from France through the Pyrenees and across northern Spain to pay homage to the relics of the apostle St. James in the city of Santiago de Compostela. Enroute, many pilgrims stay in refugios, the public network of hostels along the trail, free to those officially registered with the Pilgrim’s Office.

“You’ll be sleeping in the barn,” said Pilar, as she led me through the courtyard of Casa da Curiscada to my sleeping quarters.

After a full day of hiking I had hoped for something more comfortable than a barn, but with my aching feet I was willing to sleep anywhere. And this home has a long history of offering refuge to travelers thanks to its location on the historic trail known as El Camino de Santiago or The Way of St. James.

For more than 12 centuries pilgrims have been making the 700-km trek from France through the Pyrenees and across northern Spain to pay homage to the relics of the apostle St. James in the city of Santiago de Compostela. Enroute, many pilgrims stay in refugios, the public network of hostels along the trail, free to those officially registered with the Pilgrim’s Office.

I was not a pilgrim and planned to hike for only two days, so I had chosen an alternative—casa de turismo rural or country home. While not free, these historic farmhouses, designated for preservation by the Spanish government, offer the opportunity to experience the region’s rich history and the life of a pilgrim. They also provide a glimpse into rural life and an opportunity to meet and support the locals. And at under $50 euros a night they fit my budget. My room for the night was at a private home located between the villages of Arzúa and Burres, and only 36 km from my final destination.

“Pilgrims would grab some straw from the field to catch some sleep before the final push to the Cathedral, ” explains Pilar, pointing to a photo display by the doorway. It shows the home filled with livestock pens and bales of hay. Built over 400 years ago, it had been abandoned when she and her husband bought it four years ago.

Like other casa rurales in Spain’s countryside, this home has been fully restored. It boasts seven bedrooms as well as a patio, television, country kitchen, and fireplace. My room, formerly a wing in the barn, has been decorated in a charming, rustic Gallego style and contains every modern comfort. Breakfast is included.

Located in the heart of “Green Spain,” the region is still relatively unknown, but it is a place of quiet beauty—undulating green hills, rocky granite outcroppings, and deep coastal inlets carved by the powerful Atlantic waters. Everyone is welcome to hike El Camino. Small village cafés such as Mesón a Paínza offer caňas (glasses of beer) and leisurely lunches that include tetilla cheese, hearty peasant bread, and caldo gallego soup. It’s easy to imagine that life is unchanged from when pilgrims first walked the trail over one thousand years ago.

I awoke to the sound of cows lowing. Outside, the panandero had dropped off a basket of the day’s bread. Pilar was bringing in buckets of fresh milk. As I relaxed in bed and listened to the clinking of cow bells, I realized I could get used to sleeping in a barn.

For More Info

Casa da Curiscada is located at 15819 Arzúa, www.casacuriscada.com; Mesón a Paínza is a country restaurant that serves traditional food and offers accommodation in historic stone dwellings: www.apainza.com; Tourism Galicia lists a selection of rural accommodations: www.turgalicia.es.

Casa da Curiscada -- A Curiscada, Burres s/n -- Arzúa, 15819 A Coruña -- Galicia, Spain
Tlfs. (+34) 981 815 003 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (+34) 981 815 003      end_of_the_skype_highlighting -- (+34) 699 973 454 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (+34) 699 973 454      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Web. www.casacuriscada.com
EMail. info@casacuriscada.com -- casacuriscada@hotmail.com