Truffle Hunting in Tuscany

white truffles of Tuscany

I have to admit, I didn’t take it real well when our plans to go truffle hunting in Le Marche fell through because of rainy weather.

We ended up having a local adventure, but I wanted to eat truffles, dammit.

So when the first day of spring arrived with sunshine, we headed out to the hills of Siena for truffle hunting take 2.

Siena hills in Spring

Our mission was to find tartufo marzolino – a white truffle that darkens as it ripens.

The truffle is common in February and March, with a season extending into April. Our timing was perfect, so my hopes were high.

truffle hunting Siena

We were met by Alido, an expert tartufaio – a truffle hunter, from Associazione Tartufai del Garbo.

truffle hunting dog

And of course, Rodi, the three-year-old truffle hunting pup.

dog digging for truffles

Dogs are no eegits, as the Irish husband would say.

Puppies also love the taste of truffles, and when Rodi would catch a whiff, he would quickly set to digging.

uncovering truffles in the groun

Alido would coax him away to uncover the truffles himself, and pocket them for lunch before Rodi was able to eat them all.

truffles in the ground

Can you spot the white gold in the photo?

Irregularly shaped and covered in earth, it took awhile before I got the hang of what we were looking for in the dirt.  However, you can see the tartufi marzolini in the center – slightly richer colored and rounded.

white truffles of Tuscany

Success!

truffle hunting Tuscany

While Rodi was not allowed to eat our truffles, he was rewarded with doggie treats so he was perfectly happy to continue to sniff out the truffles and alert Alido.

truffle hunting with tartufai del garbo

Rodi had a bit of work to do to make sure we had enough truffles for a decadent meal, but he was quick to smell out the delicious little tubers.

truffle hunting for white truffles

With our Alido’s pockets full, we were ready to hop back in the cinquecento and prepare for a feast.

vintage cinquecento in Tuscany

Cute puppies! Cute cars! Real truffles! Truffle hunting finally worked out.

Many thanks to MyTour Tuscany Experts who organized the outing.

 

One thought on “Truffle Hunting in Tuscany

  1. Pingback: Truffles for Lunch in Asciano, Tuscany – An American in Rome

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