Everything You Should Know About Truffle Hunting in Italy
It’s a sunny spring day in Tuscany, and we’re loading up in a truck to go truffle hunting. Two truffle dogs, Mosca and Bianca, are resting in their crate, which hangs off the back of the car, parked outside Castelfalfi. I’d always assumed truffle hunting, a popular activity across several regions in Italy, was an autumn endeavor. But our guide, Matteo Giuliani, explains that you can search for them any time of year. In fact, there are many misconceptions about truffle hunting, a point echoed by multiple experts.
We set out mid-morning, before the heat rises. Giuliani drives into a shaded section of forest within Castelfalfi’s 300-acre grounds. It’s fenced off, and he’s the only truffle hunter with exclusive access. By the time we park the truck, Mosca and Bianca are eager to go. Giuliani always goes out with two dogs, one more experienced than the other. If he brings more than two, the dogs tend to get too competitive, and it’s harder to chase them. Mosca and Bianca are a special mix of breeds cultivated by Giuliani’s family (his cousin and his father are also truffle hunters, and they own 12 dogs between them), and they wriggle with excitement about the prospect of the search.
April isn’t the ideal time for truffle hunting. It falls between the season for bianchetto marzuolo truffles, which runs from January until mid-March, and black summer truffle season. Still, within minutes, the dogs catch a scent and begin racing through the forest. Giuliani, truffle spade in hand, runs after them, waving for us to follow. The dogs tear into the ground, dirt flying up and covering their faces. As they get close to the prize, Giuliani pulls them away. “They want to eat it,” he explains. The first truffle, disappointingly, has holes, which means it’s less appealing to restaurants (although Giuliani still takes it for other uses, like truffle oil or infused honey). But the dogs quickly uncover more in the shade of the trees.
“There are certain places where I truffle hunt where I know where the truffles are, but I don’t know if the truffles are ready to be picked because they have a specific smell,” Giuliani says. “But the dogs know. They find the truffle at the exact moment when the truffle is ready to be picked.”
Like many hotels around Italy that offer truffle hunting experiences, Castelfalfi gives guests the opportunity to taste their finds at lunch or dinner. It’s a way of connecting the ingredient to its source, which is one reason why travelers find the activity so compelling. The dogs, of course, are another.
“We aim to share the art of truffle hunting and the dedication that we and our four-legged companions bring to work every day,” says Ernesto Giunta, who runs truffle hunting company Tufo e Tartufi alongside Giovanni Mangone. The duo often works with Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany. “Truffle hunting is a centuries-old tradition in Italy. Those who join a truffle hunt can expect to fully immerse themselves in the woods, learning about truffles and the natural environment that is essential to their growth and development,” Giunta explains.
Here, Giuliani, Giunta and London-based truffle expert Meera Cortesi break down everything you need to know about truffle hunting in Italy.
When to Go
The biggest misconception about truffle hunting is that it isn’t a year-round activity. Different types of truffles are found every month of the year. But many truffle experts agree that fall is the most fun. “Autumn is, without any doubt, a crucial moment for all hunters, as the white truffle season begins,” Giunta says. “It only comes once every year to bring us the most prized and difficult truffle to hunt.”
This year-round availability is only true in Italy. “Italy, and especially Tuscany, is the only place you can find truffles all year long,” Giuliani notes. “And that is because of the climate, which is humid in the forest. And different types of truffles grow in different types of soil, so in each season you search in the opposite direction of where you were before.”
Cortesi suggests planning your experience around which truffle you want to find, but concedes that “April and September are notoriously the worst months of truffles.”
“The ideal time to go is the end of October through the middle of March,” she says. “You can also go in the summer, June, July and August, but April and May are not great months for truffles. You’re at the end of one season and at the beginning of another. It’s like picking a strawberry in April.”
Although the summer heat can be a consideration, truffle hunters typically go out early in the day or in the evening to help protect the dogs when the weather is hot. “You don’t want the dogs to be stressed,” Giuliani explains. “The moment this becomes a job for them, and they’re stressed, it’s over. They have to consider it a game for it to work. During spring or winter, you can work with the dogs throughout the whole day, but usually after a few hours, I change dogs regardless of the season.”
There typically isn’t a risk of over-hunting in a certain area, unless it involves the white truffle season. “In the case of the white truffle, one has to be careful,” Cortesi says. “They say a new crop comes out with every new moon. Hunting early maybe means that the truffles won’t be as good. That could be considered over-hunting, but ultimately, the land decides what it will offer each year.”
Where to Go
Truffle hunting takes place around the world, including in Australia, France, Spain and South Africa, but Italy is the best-known truffle hunting destination. Several regions in Italy cultivate truffles, including Tuscany, Umbria and Piedmont.
“Depending on the truffle, there are specific regions that are better for it,” Cortesi says. “For the white truffle, that’s the north of Italy, Tuscany and the center part of Italy, although you can get white truffles now a little bit farther south. The black grows across the whole country. Umbria is famously known for the region of Norcia, where the black winter truffle grows. But if you just want the experience of finding a truffle, it doesn’t really matter.”
Who to Go With
Cortesi notes that truffle hunting has become extremely commercialized. It’s a popular attraction for tourists, so it’s important to be discerning about which company or truffle hunter you go with. She suggests looking for experiences through wine producers or hotels. “If you go to a good wine house or olive oil producer, you’ll find a natural marriage,” she says.
Giuliani agrees: “The best way is to do the experience through one of the places that hosts them. Castelfalfi is one of them. Our land is filled with beautiful areas where you can find truffles, so the easiest way would be to do the experience through one of the estates or hotels that organize it.”
Truffle hunting can take place on private or public land, depending on who you go with. Unless you are on government land, a license isn’t required; however, a permit probably is. It’s best to ensure you go with a legitimate hunter or company—truffle hunting isn’t an activity you should pursue on your own.
And wherever you go and whomever you go with, expect adorable dogs. They are instrumental to sniffing out the truffles. But contrary to the lore, there will not be pigs or boars.
“During the 1800s, pigs were the animals that made us find truffles for the first time,” Giuliani explains. “They were the first who found them in the forest, so that’s probably where the misconception begins. But people have always used dogs. Technically, pigs can do it, but they have less mobility, and their sense of smell doesn’t go as far. Dogs can smell a truffle from 20 meters. A pig could smell it, but it would have to be exactly on the spot. And you can’t train a pig not to eat it.”
Giunta adds, “Dogs are the key of the hunt. We will always need them, as their sharp sense of smell will detect truffles, even from a very large distance. The training consists of gaining their trust and obedience, as well as making sure they are interested in truffles as something to give to us and not for them to eat. However, the hunt will always be led by the hunter because he can choose the best times and hunting spots, which comes solely from a deep understanding and knowledge of the land.”
What to Expect
Truffle hunting takes place in the forest, which can be wet or even muddy depending on the time of year. “Normally, it’s quite damp because in order for truffles to come to the ground, it needs to be humid,” Cortesi says. “It’s possible that it will rain and it’ll be a little bit cooler.”
When we went, it was sunny and dry, and no one wore particularly appropriate clothing for the woods. But all truffle experts recommend making the effort to be better prepared. Wear wellies if it’s wet, and walking shoes or hiking boots if it’s dry. Giunta suggests long trousers and closed-toe shoes, at the very least. “When we go truffle hunting, we usually wear technical clothing that is lightweight and suitable for the current season and needs to protect us from the elements and obstacles, such as thorns, branches and
If you go with someone like Giuliani, be prepared to run. This also means truffle hunting isn’t the best proposition for travelers with limited mobility. “You absolutely have to run,” Giuliani says. “You won’t have the same experience without it because the dogs love to eat the truffles they find. So the moment they spot one, you have to run, because otherwise they’re going to eat it before you actually see them. Plus, it’s a bit of adrenaline.”
How to Find a Good Truffle
The truffle hunter will be able to identify the truffle based on its location, color and scent. But there are other criteria, as well. “It’s very important to know how to recognize a truffle at its right stage of ripeness, distinguishing it from one that is too young or overripe,” Giunta says. “This can be done by observing the veins inside the truffle. Perfect ripeness is achieved when the inside displays numerous light brown veins. This, along with the aroma that the truffle emits, serves as the main indicator for recognizing the various stages of maturity.”
He adds, “But the best way is always to taste it and let your taste buds decide whether the truffle you are eating is good or not.”
White truffles are the most valuable because they can’t be cultivated, making them harder to find. “It’s the king of truffles,” Cortesi says. “Depending on the weather and the humidity and the sun and the cold and all those different elements, it could be a good year or a bad year. But when—and if—you find one, it’s very exciting.”
“Sometimes it takes waiting three or four hours before you find a white truffle,” Giuliani explains. “It can be a little frustrating. With the black summer truffle, you have a better chance of finding something.”
Whatever you find, it will create a valuable connection between the source and the product.
“The majority of the people who come truffle hunting have probably tasted truffles in fine dining restaurants everywhere in the world, but what I want them to know and remember forever is the process of how you pick them,” Giuliani says. “Because most of them probably thought we pick them like we pick apples from a tree. But there’s an unbreakable bond between me and the dogs. It’s about the human and the dog working together to find the truffle. This experience helps you understand what it takes for you to have that truffle-based dish in a restaurant.”
