Try truffle hunting in Alba

Autumn is the perfect time to visit Piedmont and enjoy the seasonal 'white gold'...

Truffle hunting in Piedmont

Alba truffle market is in full swing and restaurants in Piedmont and in cities across Europe are building truffle season into their menus.

If you’re feeling energetic, you could book yourself onto a tour and walk the sloping hills of the Langhe looking for your own.

Otherwise, head down to Alba for the weekend white truffle market held every Saturday and Sunday from 9am in the town’s Cortile della Maddalena. It runs until 27 November.

‘Nature, dogs, fine food and wine afterwards – what’s not to like about truffle hunting?’ said Sorcha Holloway from Away with Wine, which runs truffle hunting and wine trips with Ascheri winery.

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Truffles can only grow wild, with no cultivation techniques developed. This, of course, adds to the truffle’s allure and means the help of dogs is key in sniffing them out.

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‘The first, small white truffles are just appearing,’ said David Berry Green, buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd and based in the Langhe in Piedmont.

Indulge at the white truffle market at the variety available from local vendors. Or at the Alba truffle show, you can enjoy cooking experiences and meet the chefs who specialise in cooking with white truffles.

Head to truffle masterclasses and learn how to choose, appreciate and best to store truffles.

Wine masterclasses at the Alba truffle festival.

Also available are wine masterclasses, specialising in local Nebbiolo, Barolo and the Langhe, and wine and food matching, specialising in local cheese, meats and sweets.

Exporing the area

‘At this time of year, the weather’s perfect for walking the stunning, tea-garden like slopes of the Langhe,’ said Berry Green.

‘Also a good time to visit the 15th century castelli, such as the fine, vertical one in Serralunga d’Alba, or the Felletti in village of Barolo, that houses the fun & informative wine museum.’

Fly into Turin, which is ‘a must visit, with its array of palazzi & elegant colonnades.’ It then takes around an hour to drive to Alba.