La Buona terra is the ideal place for those who want to live the experience of immersing themselves in the quiet of nature. But don’t think of the usual agritourism. Luisa and Domenico welcomed us underlining: “we prefer to define ourselves as a family that decides to open up to the public”.
Immersion in the Venetian countryside
And you immediately feel welcome guests in a warm and lived-in home. The buildings, like other architectures in the area, are completely built in trachyte, the volcanic stone of the Euganean Hills, a territory at the edge of which the Agriturismo area develops, respecting the environment and the nature that surround it.
In fact, La Buona Terra is first and foremost the “home” of Luisa and Domenico, who lovingly follow all the activities of the farm, from looking after the vegetable garden and orchard to the breeding of semi-wild animals.
Restored one piece at a time, it has taken on the appearance of a small village in which the old farmhouse represents the heart, while around it there are the houses that house the rooms furnished in country style, equipped with private bathroom and overlooking the surrounding countryside at the first reliefs of the Euganean Hills that seem to suddenly appear on the horizon.
Upon our arrival, Luisa, a true hostess, accompanied us to our accommodation, the Casetta in pietra, with a double bed and a bunk bed, located in the middle of the yard.
The other accommodation proposals are scattered between the main farmhouse and the greenery, such as Roseto which takes its name from the garden of ancient roses it overlooks, Fattore in the old farmer’s quarters, Glicine obtained in the cellar of the farmhouse, Veneziana located in the barn on the attic floor and Rondinella housed in a separate complex, consisting of two floors with a small sitting room and 4 beds.
Here, what the countryside offers from season to season dictates the law, which can be found in the dishes offered in an intimate and familiar atmosphere in simple menus that contain all the goodness of gardens and farms.
We tasted the dishes of October, a special month for the chromatic changes that nature offers and for the seasonal fruits with which you can make real magic in the kitchen.
The menus are fixed, so you do not choose individual dishes but the two types proposed: Red the traditional meat-based one and Green the one that pays great attention to vegetarian and vegan offerings on request. At Luisa’s suggestion we tasted them both, enjoying as an appetizer the mosaic of exquisite company meats and the chicken in saore, prepared according to an ancient family recipe and a delicate savory pie accompanied by bruschetta with autumn flavors and colors with pumpkin, radicchio and pear together with a polenta and mushroom flan with grana padano decorations.
As a first course a tasting of pies, a sort of lasagnette with meat sauce, radicchio and onion, while as the second we chose the fragrant polenta with aromas with morsels of sorana from the farm. So we learned that sorana is the female calf less than 20 months old that has never given birth and it is precisely these characteristics that make its meat particularly tender and tasty. The sweet finish was assigned to the homemade tart with pears and chocolate.
The cuisine is simple, but incredibly tasty thanks to the exceptional quality of the raw materials: the farmhouse is an oasis of authenticity that enhances all the flavors of the area with great generosity even in the morning breakfast.
The “warmth” of the kitchen is found in the interiors, warmed by wooden details decorated with flowers and seasonal delights, where Luisa knows how to make a special hospitality made of great passion and love for things done well … just like in the past.
Walking in this Paduan countryside it is easy to understand why Luisa and Domenico, both from peasant families, fell in love with it and decided to buy an old house in Cervarese Santa Croce where they could raise their daughters Angela and Stella.
The property is surrounded by 15 hectares of land with a vegetable garden, orchard and the breeding of cattle, pigs and laying hens. In the fields wheat, barley, rye, Marano maize, seasonal vegetables and fodder for breeding are grown.
Since 1999, the year in which the ‘La Buona Terra’ project was born, the company has grown by offering more and more services such as accommodation, restaurant and camping, a camper area and tents equipped with all the services to live in freedom and in contact with nature.
La Buona terra is also an educational farm and courses and visits are organized to bring children and teenagers closer to the wonder of the Venetian countryside, its rhythms and its traditions.
The farmhouse is the ideal starting point for discovering the surrounding area which is located in the heart of Veneto, near the pedestrian and cycle ring of the Euganean Hills among chestnut woods, vineyards and a nature to breathe where you can indulge in activities such as climbing between Rocca Pendice and Lumignano, but also walking or cycling in the Euganean Hills Regional Park among villages, villas, monasteries and medieval fortresses.
For a picnic in the surrounding area, the Castle of San Martino is perfect. Its imposing tower was raised in the Lombard period, subsequently the fortification was enlarged by the Carraresi and was the scene of numerous clashes between the Vicentines and the Veronese, to then become in the Venetian era an important river port on the Bacchiglione river which marked the border between Padua and Vicenza.
The presence of a church without a roof in the village is singular: in the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross the celebrations were suspended in 1966. Since then it was abandoned and in 2014 the roof of the nave collapsed, destroying the vault.
For the lazy ones or for those who want to enjoy relaxation there is the swimming pool, a mirror of clear water in the middle of the green. Those with a sweet tooth can bring home the flavors of the territory by buying them in the local shop. We would have liked to do it too with sausages prepared according to ancient recipes, including sopressa, awarded in 2010 and 2016 as the best product. Unfortunately, the last difficult period limited the production so Luisa and Domenico directed us to another local reality, Villa Feriani, from which we stocked up on bacon and salami before leaving.
Agriturismo La Buona terra
Via Repoise, 73 – Cervarese Santa Croce (Padova)
Info: +39 328 0770977
www.buonaterrabio.it – info@buonaterrabio.it
