Master of None: Modena and Osteria Francescana

Master of None, the Netflix series created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, opens its second season (2017) with an episode filmed entirely in Italy — and not just any city, but Emilia’s food capital: Modena.

Osteria Francescana, Bottura’s restaurant

In the episode The Thief, Dev and his best friend Arnold celebrate a birthday at Osteria Francescana, chef Massimo Bottura’s three-Michelin-star restaurant on Via Stella. It’s not a set: it’s a real restaurant, voted the world’s best in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking in both 2016 and 2018.

Hosteria Giusti, since 1598

Among the show’s other real locations is Hosteria Giusti, at Via Farini 75: just four tables, carved out in 1989 from the former slaughterhouse behind the historic Giusti delicatessen, running since 1598 — one of Europe’s oldest food shops. Also featured is the Cappuccino da Angiolina bar on Vicolo Forni.

Modena, a food capital

To play Dev learning hand-made pasta, Aziz Ansari actually moved to Modena for weeks, studying Italian and the technique of rolling fresh dough. The result is an authentic portrait of a city known for tortellini, tigelle, traditional balsamic vinegar and Lambrusco — the same Modena told in our article on Ferrari and Modena’s cuisine.

In short

Master of None proves the world’s best cooking is often found in a provincial town: Modena, led by Osteria Francescana, remains one of Italy’s most sought-after food destinations. Discover more films and shows with real Italian locations on our site.