White Truffle Festival in Alba, Italy

Every October and November, this small town in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy hosts the International Alba White Truffle Festival.  There are a variety of events including a World Truffle Market, parades exhibiting local folklore and traditions, cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and dinners.  Mark attended the Festival in 2019 and looked forward to attending again with Debra.

The City of Alba

The city of Alba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is well known for its white truffle and wine production.  It is also the home of Ferrero, the confectionery group which produces Ferrero Rocher candy and Nutella spread.  In fact, hazelnut trees grow throughout the Alba area and are a major crop.  

Wine Tasting

We arranged for a couple of different wine tastings at the local vineyards Gianni Gagliardo and Fratelli Rabino.  We learned a lot about Italian wines including their local DOC regions (Barolo, Barbaresco, and Roero) and some of the many grape varietals (Favorita, Arneis, Barbera and Nebbiolo).  

Truffle Hunting

The other activity we took part in was a truffle hunting demonstration in the Alba countryside.  Our guide, David, and his truffle hunting dog, Tea, showed us how truffles (both white and black) are found.  Truffle hunting in Italy is tightly regulated, and all participants must be fully licensed.  David owns two truffle hunting dogs and is himself a 4th generation hunter.  Tea is five years old and began training as a truffle hunting dog at three months of age. 

The guide said that he has been offered as much as 80,000 euros for a single truffle hunting dog.  David won't sell, however, as a good dog will find several hundred kilos of truffles over its lifetime.  The 2022 truffle season has been a challenging one due to high temperatures and low rainfall.  As a result, white truffle prices are high, about $5,000 per pound (retail).  

Truffle Eating

We celebrated Mark's birthday with a visit to the Michelin-starred restaurant Piazza Duomo.  We also ate at numerous other restaurants to sample their truffle fare.  Suffice it to say that Tea could have been able to track us through the streets of Alba at the end of our wonderful visit.