The New Italian Luxury according to Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore Their B&B, Casa Maria Luigia, talks about a new experiential dimension between cuisine, art and nature

Amid the huge number of chefs recycling themselves as tv characters and authors of vapid recipe books, Massimo Bottura still remains the only pure chef who has managed to make his vision and art almost legendary in Italy and around the world. Without ever selling out to the media, but always remaining attentive and present on the horizon of contemporary culture, Bottura represents a type of public personality so pop that it can collaborate with Gucci and at the same time so authoritative that it can sign an appeal to the Conte Government in defense of Italian restaurateurs. In addition to the now famous Osteria Francescana, Bottura is, together with his wife, Lara Gilmore, the soul and heart behind Casa Maria Luigia, the guest house immersed in one of the most beautiful landscapes in Emilia, halfway between culinary experience, art gallery and country life.

The family and DNA of Casa Maria Luigia is strongly linked to Italy but has contamination from all over the world, in particular from the USA.  You have always said that more than one hotel is a welcoming home: what aspects of different cultures influence your everyday life?

Lara – We are lucky to have a team of people coming from all over the world to be here with us. We all speak Italian and English as if they were one language! But this summer we wanted to give a touch of America to our culinary proposal with our Sunday brunch. The whole menu has been designed to be cooked in a wood oven or with the smokemaker, as per tradition oversea. Country or jazz music as an accompaniment. We made guests travel even when they couldn't, and the response especially from the local audience was incredible.

Massimo – Balsamic Vinegar flows in my veins but I do not want to make distinctions, I feel like a citizen of the world. Walking through Via Stella in the center of Modena, where Osteria Francescana is located, or walking through the gates of Casa Maria Luigia, you hear all the languages of the world speak, and this is a wonderful feeling. As I said before, here we break down the barriers, there are no distinctions. We communicate the best of Italian excellences and traditions filtered by centuries of history and reworked by contemporary thought. And today, contemporaneity, is having no limits.