Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore of Osteria Francescana fame will be opening a 12 room inn in Modena called Casa Maria Luigia.
The house, in the middle of the Reggio Emilia countryside, is just 20 minutes away from the Osteria Francescana, one of the world’s most famous restaurants and currently no 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list
So far, Massimo and Lara have welcomed a few hosts for private evenings but the inn is set to welcome the first guests in spring and will offer Lambrusco, Parmiggiano Reggiano and the hospitality that the couple with their team is famous for at the Osteria Francescana.
The inn is being designed according to their tastes. The house, named after Massimo’s mother will have a tennis court, a swimming pool, a music room and will serve breakfast and a light lunch. What will make the place special is the collection of art books and records that will be made available for guests.
Massimo and Lara will showcase their passions for contemporary art, classic jazz, Italian design and antiques. A night at Maria Luigia will set you back EUR 450 for a double room and guests will be able to secure a booking at Osteria Francescana, something that has become harder and harder over the years as Massimo Bottura’s cooking grew in fame and popularity.
The news was revealed by the Wall Street Journal which got access to the hotel during a special event before Christmas.
Italian food magazine Gambero Rosso asked if one day the Francescana, as the restaurant is called in Italy would move to the inn.
Apart from the Osteria Franscescana and Franceschetta in Modena, Bottura and Gilmore are also the founders of the Food for Soul foundation which aims to serve food to the poor using food that would otherwise go to waste. Massimo Bottura also has a collaboration with Gucci which includes a restaurant in Florence and one which is set to open in the United States.
In a few days time he will also open his first restaurant in Dubai. The restaurant called Torno Subito is inspired by the Italian ‘Dolce Vita’ of the 1960s. The flavours are imported from Emilia-Romagna where chef Bernardo Paladini worked at Franceschetta. Expect to find a Caesar salad from Modena to Dubai which incorporates flavours of the spice souk of Dubai to daily tasting menus that incorporate slices of pizza with salted ice-cream.
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