From Rodolfo Guzmán to Aitor Arregi, “fire masters” from around the globe brought their art to Casa Maria Luigia, “igniting” the interest of guests for three consecutive days. In the elegant home away from home of Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, the flame of hospitality shines ever brighter: the tale of Identità di Fuoco.
Event photographs by Stefania Gambella
Photo of chef on mobile cover: Pier Marco Tacca
The event
For three days, Casa Maria Luigia was smoking - and I mean that literally, there was a non-stop pillar of smoke hanging above the regal XVIII. Century mansion that Bottura and Lara Gilmore call home and serves as an official hosting ground for the Francescana Family - and Harry Styles on occasion.
Alas, he didn't make a special guest appearance, so the masters of fire from around the world had the stage for themselves - Rodolfo Guzman from Borago (Chile), Aitor Arregi from Elkano (Basque country), Dave Pynt from Burnt Ends (Singapore), Mitsuharu Tsumura ”Micha” from Maido (Lima) and Michele Lazzarini from Contrada Bricconi.
The boys alternated cooking for two nights alongside Jessica Rosval from the in-house Al Gatto Verde, having fun behind the smokers and green eggs like they are at one long big BBQ party. Which, in a way, we were. There was Aitor, switching it up and serving grilled squid caught that day in the Bay of Biscay instead of his signature turbot, Micha with the ultra tasty sweetbreads in punchy broth and Jessica creating a link between Italy and Latin America with the tomato risotto with chocolate mole.
Guzman is always the one who goes big whenever there’s fire involved, providing photographers and food influencers with plenty of content with his lamb "al asador" style, and porcinis, hung over fire like a little mushroom drape. And Pynt came in big with two umami bombs, grilled eel on bone marrow and miso glazed barbecued beef short ribs.
But it was Michele Lazzarini, a former Norbert Niederkofler’s head chef at St. Hubertus, undoubtedly one of the most talented young Italian chefs working today, who served the dish of the night, delicate impeccably crafted bottoni pasta with rue and lovage.
Now, to be perfectly honest, I am not sure how much Lazzarini followed the fire theme here, but my god, what a dish. It was so good that our table asked for seconds and started Google Mapping what’s the easiest way to reach Contrada Bricconi. Spoiler alert: It’s not super easy. At that point, mind you, we were a few bottles of Dom Perignon in, part of the group realized they might just give up on the whole idea of going anywhere that requires … driving. Or Northern Italy.
Why not just set out camp here in Casa Maria Luigia, in Emilia-Romagna that on that day felt like one giant attractive, addictive Italian cliché. You want to stay at the Harry Styles cottage? Please, help yourself to the endless stock of Lambrusco and tiramisu in the fridge. Jump in the pool slightly tipsy because you took Bottura’s instruction to “relax and get drunk” a bit too seriously? Sure. In case you get bored of your private collection of vinyls, fret not, there’s a live blues band under the old cypress tree, lead singer belting out songs with so much soul like we were on a plantation deep in the Cajun country. The guests were also able to stroll among Ferrari and Maserati of Massimo's massive private collection (I mean really, why go to the Ferrari museum in Maranello when you have one right in front of your bedroom?) and Lara Gilmore was in charge of hiding the keys - just in case if anyone got any wild ideas at the afterparty.
Casa Maria Luigia is where the Vita is Dolce 24/7 starting with the breakfast, arguably one of the best ones in Italy, rivaling the Niko Romito one down at Casadonna Reale. A colorful display of oven baked in-season vegetables, seasoned with rosemary and thyme – and heaps of olive oil, rich silky frittatas that change daily and fluffy air pockets of fried gnocco, served with a slice of mortadella and fior di latte and drizzled with thick, decades aged balsamic vinegar from Acetaia Maria Luigia. There are chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano on the side and freshly baked “erbazzone”, little pies filled with whatever herbs and greens are in season, slices of baked squash topped with pumpkin seed salsa and peaches sautéed in brown butter.
Warm cotechino sausage is served on a crumble and topped with zabaione and the cinnamon bun as an homage to both Lara and Jessica is done exactly as it should be – American style, all sticky and sugary, the kind you feel your veins clogging – as it should. It was one of those events where the breakfast stretches into an aperitivo and aperitivo into lunch and lunch into aperitivo followed by … you know the drill.
Massimo, clad in a scarlet Gucci velvet ensemble, served as the showrunner, using his son Charlie's whistle to get the crowds moving from one space to another, from one set of dishes to the dancefloor. There were no political speeches, but picking Salam Daqqaq from Dubai’s Bait Maryam and Sufret Maryam to cook a truly wonderful Palestinian lunch with the team of Roots Modena, community program for empowering immigrant women, was a lovely nod from the hosts and it added a lot of substance and depth to the event.
Modena is small, a city defined and shaped by Ferrari, Parmigiano Reggiano, Balsamic Vinegar and Osteria Francescana and there's no escaping it none of the above. Francescana really reshaped not just the culinary scene in Modena, but redefined Italian gastronomy and changed it forever.
But it feels Casa Maria Luigia is where Massimo and Lara's heart truly lies at this stage of his career. Sure, it's a 3-Michelin key boutique luxury hotel, a place where old Francescana dishes are still recreated, a place you want to come just for breakfast alone, but Casa Maria Luigia is also an incredible collection of priceless art pieces, installations and rare vinyls creating a place that is both incredibly posh and incredibly homey at the same time. And even if you are mere mortals who won’t get that birthday party invite – it’s a pretty spectacular place any day of the year.
