Truffles, Mushrooms, and Chestnuts in Italy

Monday October 2, 2006

Fall is a great time for eating in Italy. Dishes made with truffles, wild mushrooms, and chestnuts are plentiful and you'll find festivals celebrating these foods in many parts of Italy. Look for the word festa or sagra (sagra definition) in your Italy travels. Here are a few samples of fall Italian food festivals:

Northern Lazio - Mary Jane Cryan of Elegant Etruria sent me the menu for a special October 6-7 dinner menu at Ristorante Casa Tuscia in Nepi that includes truffles, chestnuts, and several varieties of mushrooms. Cost is just 45 euros a person for four courses, each with wine. Just reading about dishes like chestnut soup with forest mushrooms or risotto with goose, truffle, and porcini makes my mouth water.
Piedmont - Alba's white truffle festival, one of the best in Italy, is already underway. Slow Food's Salone del Gusto, one of the largest international food and wine shows in the world, takes place in Turin at the end of October. See October Festivals in Italy for details.
Umbria - The Trade Fair of Truffles is in mid-October, followed by chestnut festivals the following weekend, and woodland fairs at the end of the month. More on Fall Food Fairs in Umbria, Italy's heart.
Tuscany - The beautiful little hill town of San Miniato has a wonderful truffle fair in November. Europe for Visitors has great pictures and description of the San Miniato Truffle Festival.

More truffles and fall food festivals -

Umbria:

Truffle Market Exhibition in Fabro, November 11-12
White Truffle Market Fair of Gubbio, 10/28-11/2
Trevi - Chestnut Festival, 10/22, and new olive oil, 10/29
Citta di Castello - Truffle and Forest Products Market Exhibit, first weekend of November

Tuscany: San Giovanni d'Asso White Truffle Exhibition and Market - 2nd and 3rd weekends of November

Emilia-Romagna: Savigno, in the hills southwest of Bologna, holds the Savigno Sagra del Tartufo (truffle) the first 3 Sundays in November

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