2 nights in B & B 2 Adults with truffle hunting + tasting

Truffle hunting, truffle hunting with the dog

Everyone can live the experience of searching for truffles hunting or even becoming truffles for a day.

It is possible to accompany a truffle hunter and buy the delicious tubers just found.
Mostly they are owners of “cultivated truffles”: they are plantations of mycorrhized trees, that is, with the roots already associated with a type of truffle, where the harvest is reserved to the owner.
Or they are members of associations of truffles that manage “controlled truffles”: they are natural truffles where improvements are made like the cleaning of the undergrowth, and the harvest is reserved for members.
Often they are demonstrations: before the departure a truffle is hidden previously found, to be sure that the search is successful, since it often does not bear fruit and for this reason truffles are expensive.

To freely search for truffles in the “natural truffles” (everyone knows the right places, often handed down from generation to generation) you need to pass an exam, pay a fee and ask the town of residence the card that enables the collection, valid for 5 years on everything the national territory, and have a trained dog.
In Tuscany nine species of truffle grow (but two are very sporadic) and the harvest is regulated by the Regional Law n. 50 of 11 April 1995 and subsequent amendments.

The Truffle: very precise mushroom of the particular Aroma. Discovering the truffle in Tuscany.

When it comes to truffles we immediately think of the Alba truffle or the truffles of Umbria. But also Tuscany has some places where there are fantastic truffles.

The collection of the regulated truffle: the regional law requires that it takes place only in certain periods of the year and that no unripe truffles are collected, distinguishable from the mature ones because they are found on the surface. For the research a specially trained dog must be used, and the ground, always dry, can not be hoed but a special tool must be used that must be commensurate with the size of the fungus.

Truffles that are possibly different must be buried to allow the spread of the spores. Anyone wishing to become a truffle collector must take possession of the appropriate suitability issued by the Province after an examination. To this must be added an authorization card issued by the Municipality of residence and valid for five years. This card skill the owner to search and collect truffles throughout the country.

But how many truffles can you find in Tuscany? The precious white truffle called Trifola which has a yellow and smooth rind, a light pulp and an intense aroma. The white truffle is also very digestible. The less prized black truffle of the white truffle: it has a yellow and smooth rind but the pulp is black and the scent is decidedly more delicate. The Marzuolo or Bianchetto truffles are also found with white pulp and rind. And finally the summer truffle called Scorzone with its yellowish flesh and black rind.

One of the best areas for truffle hunting is the province of Siena. The most suitable environment for the search for the precious white truffle is the Crete Senesi area.

Especially in autumn you can meet a gentleman accompanied by a dog, most often mestizo, who goes and sniffs everywhere the land. The gentleman is a recognizable truffle hunter because he holds in his hands the “spade” the tool to remove the truffles from the earth. The truffle is found throughout the province of Siena, but the best place is at the foot of Mount Amiata: the Crete Senesi. In San Giovanni d’Asso a beautifully preserved village, where you can breathe the Middle Ages, among rolling clayey little wooded hills, in this almost lunar-like nature, there is the white truffle. The “White Diamond” of Italy finds its capital in San Giovanni d’Asso. In this medieval village, two events are held every year: the Exhibition of the Marzuolo Truffle of the Crete Senesi and the Exhibition of the fine white truffle of the Crete Senesi. To these events is added the week of the summer truffle of the Crete Senesi. These events attract thousands of gourmets …