This is an excerpt for Episode 4: Slow Food, Fast Cars and Episode 5: Massimo, Modena & Philanthropy from the Dream of Italy Season 3 Travel Guide. Get your own PDF copy here.
Casa Maria Luigia, named after Massimo’s mother, is the Bottura family villa in the Emilia-Romagna countryside where every square inch is impeccably curated. The property has a pool, tennis court, green areas to relax in, a garden, a well-used wood-burning oven and 200-year-old oak trees. Twelve rooms are expertly designed, with contemporary touches and art in each room. Don’t miss the sublime breakfast, which is included in the room rate. Standout breakfast items include savory wood-fired pastries filled with greens as well as Massimo’s favorite zabaglione sweet cream and cotechino, an Italian pork sausage often eaten in winter but rarely at breakfast.
There are two on-site restaurants by Canadian chef Jessica Rosval. Francescana at Maria Luigia serves a nine-course dinner from Tuesday to Saturday where each course is accompanied by explanations of the dish’s origins by Rosval herself. The new Al Gatto Verde has a tasting menu and an a la carte menu with dishes such as short ribs with apricots, marigolds and Yorkshire pudding; and caramelle pasta with charred ricotta and herbs. Al Gatto Verde is open Wednesday to Saturday for dinner and Sunday for lunch. Reservations are required for both restaurants. For more information, visit www.casamarialuigia.com