Truffle hunting in Italy is the perfect addition to your road trip through Tuscany, Italy. Known for its wines, cheeses and truffle dishes, Tuscany is one of the best regions for eating good food and drinking good wine.
Truffle hunting is a great way to learn everything about truffles – the prized crop of Italy, and how they’re harvested. They grow underground near tree roots, so you’ll enjoy a nice hike through the woods while learning the secrets behind why they’re so expensive! You might be wondering if pigs are used for truffle hunting. The answer is no! Back in the day, truffle hunters used pigs to sniff the fungi from the ground since it resembled the smell of their hormones But that didn’t last very long.
You see, the pigs would eat the fungi and damage the soil in the process, preventing more truffles to grow in the area. So truffle hunters started training dogs from a young age to hunt for this sought out produce of Italy because they were more tamed. (However, sometimes they’ll sneakily eat them!) The results are far more satisfactory and you get to go home with ALL the truffles!
So into the forest you’ll go while you watch the doggos sniff out the truffles. During the hunt, you’ll learn more about the process while experiencing a day in the life of a truffle hunter. (It’s crazy to think it’s a full time job!). The best part comes next. After you’ve gathered enough of those yummy but initially gross-looking fungi, most tours prepare a truffle-infused meal to celebrate!
Starting Your Truffle Hunt in Florence or Chianti Hills?
If you’re in Florence, it’s easy to take a day trip to hunt for truffles from there, since the Chianti hills are so close. After all, Florence is part of the Tuscany region! So your journey to the hunting grounds shouldn’t last more than 45 minutes to an hour. This also makes taking a half-day trip easy, depending on what you want to do.
The truffle hunting tour near San Gimignano, in Tuscany, at Tenuta Torciano Winery, is all based on truffles and will offer you an experience of about an hour in the woods with beautiful trained dogs followed by an exquisite lasagna lunch with truffle, Tuscan dishes and a vertical tasting of more than 10 Tuscan products. In addition, it will also be possible to book an entire Cooking Class 100% truffle based. Keep an eye out for this experience and the Pasta Cooking Class in the winery!
The best thing about truffles is that they grow all year around! However, depending on which truffle you like – white or black, some months are better than others. So what are you waiting for? Book now your truffle hunting experience in Torciano Winery.
Phone: +39 3662324058
Mail: booking@torciano.com
