Fall Truffles in Italy

What could be more romantic than feasting on a meal made with the sensuous truffle? Fall dishes made with white truffles are plentiful in northern and central Italy. Wild mushrooms are at their peak in fall, too. You'll find fall festivals celebrating the truffle (tartufo) and mushrooms (funghi) in many parts of Italy - look for the word festa or sagra (sagra definition) in your Italy travels.

Truffles are found mainly in the regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, and Le Marche. Here's a sample of Italian truffle festivals:

• Piedmont - Alba's white truffle festival and market, one of the best in Italy, takes place on weekends from September 29 - November 11. Besides the truffle market and fair, there'll be lots of entertainment. Events start on September 22 with a night of concerts and gastronomic stands and end November 11 with the truffle world auction and a white truffle walk for tourists. See October Festivals in Italy for details. Also in Piedmont, there's a truffle fair in Moncalvo the last weekend of October.
• Tuscany - The beautiful little hill town of San Miniato has a wonderful truffle fair on three weekends in November starting November 11. Europe for Visitors has great pictures and description of the San Miniato Truffle Festival. San Giovanni d'Asso, near Siena, has a good truffle festival from November 10-18 and a truffle museum open on weekends.
• Le Marche - Acqualagna, the town that calls itself the "truffle capital" holds a white truffle fair on weekends starting at the end of October through mid-November. Sant'Angelo in Vado, near Urbania, a has truffle fair on weekends, October 13 - November 4 with music on Saturday nights.
• Umbria - Mostra Mercato del Tartufo, Trade fair of Truffles, is in mid-October in Pietralunga. Citta di Castello holds the Truffle and Forest Products Market Exhibit the first weekend of November.
• Emilia-Romagna - Savigno, in the hills southwest of Bologna, holds the Savigno Sagra del Tartufo (truffle) the first 3 Sundays in November. Sasso Marconi, in the province of Bologna, holds a truffle sagra the first weekend of November.

More Truffles in Italy:

• On the Truffle Trail on about.com's Italian Cuisine
• White Truffles on Wandering Italy
• White Truffle Festivals Discussion on Slow Travel
• All About Truffles from Marche Voyager

Related Italy Travel:

• Piedmont Travel Map
• Tuscany Map
• Le Marche Map
• Umbria Map on Europe for Visitors
• Emilia Romagna Map

Fall Festivals in Italy

• October Festivals
• November Festivals

^{Black Truffles Picture © 2006 by James Martin, Europe for Visitors, licensed to about.com}