Review / We review Casa Maria Luigia, world’s best chef Massimo Bottura’s romantic new country house in Italy
Best known for his famous restaurant Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura’s elegant country estate, also in Modena, offers 12 rooms plus the Michelin-star chef’s incredible ‘Francescana’ dining experience – with a night’s stay, breakfast and dinner for two costing from US$1,492
Ask any gourmand where they would dine if they only had one night in the town of Modena, and nearly all would say Osteria Francescana. Securing a table at Massimo Bottura’s restaurant – awarded three Michelin stars and twice voted number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – is like winning the lottery.
So when I cancelled a booking there in order to eat elsewhere, friends thought I’d gone mad. But I had an ace up my sleeve: a reservation instead at Casa Maria Luigia, the new country estate opened by Bottura and his wife, Lara Gilmore, located 15 minutes from central Modena, with its own special “Francescana” dining experience. The dinner itself is €450 (US$497), but requires a non-refundable booking at the hotel, so you’re looking at a minimum of €1,350 (US$1,492) for room, breakfast and dinner for two.
The best way to reach the estate (and discover the region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy’s food capital), is by car. After passing miles of industrial buildings and flat farmland, I reach the poplar-lined driveway that leads to what Bottura and Gilmore refer to as their country house.
It’s more charming than grand, an 18th-century mansion with a cream facade, sage shutters and a balcony with oversized gelato sculptures at either end. Jazz music emanates from within, and I find Gilmore clipping bunches of lavender at the gate (I recognise her from her star appearance in the Netflix show Chef’s Table).
Staff lead me into the mansion, done up in a gorgeous mix of period, vintage and contemporary. The ornate vaulted ceiling in the main living room contrasts with a large Ai Weiwei triptych, and an adjacent parlour is filled with iconic Wassily and Barcelona chairs.
A music room holds a state-of-the-art sound system and thousands of vinyl records, and a cocktail lounge is set up for DIY drinks. Food, art and design books and magazines are strewn everywhere, confirming that this is a getaway for the aesthete, too.
Each of the 12 guestrooms is uniquely styled, and features contemporary art, vintage furniture and colourful design flourishes. Mine overlooks the former carriage house (now restaurant), and some of the car park, though the best views are of the garden.
