The truffle of the Italian Apennines seduces at the table and amuses in the woods. It is the undisputed king of fall, protagonist of experiences from the forest to the palate.
An unmissable place to enjoy it is, for example, the restaurant Il Tartufo di Borgotufi, a new hotel in Castel del Giudice (IS), in the Molise region. Here, the fine underground tuber accompanies the dishes of chef Marco Pasquarelli, as “Tartare di Manzo autunnale” (Hazelnut, turnips, mustard and truffles), “Tortello di pecora, saffron, caciocavallo and truffle” and other delicacies.
Among the folds of the Molisano-Abruzzese Apennines, you can also dedicate to guided tours to get to know the king of the woods and participate in delicious tastings with The Truffle Farms of Ateleta (AQ). You can also visit the Truffle Museum in San Pietro Avellana (IS) with interactive and multisensory activities.
In the Umbria region, at the Relais Borgo Campello, in Campello sul Clitunno (PG), this season is ideal to taste the umbro prized black truffle which is harvested right between December and January.
The village is a small wonder to slowly discover between nature, history and art. Here, you can participate to an exclusive truffle hunt with the quarrymen and his inseparable little dog.
The fragrant hypogeum treasure becomes the main ingredient of an excellent dinner, prepared by the chef of the relais.
The truffle search process is nominated for the 2021 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In Emilia Romagna, also the Modena Apennines are a fertile land in terms of black truffles. Chef Paolo Balboni of the the EXÉ restaurant e in Fiorano Modenese (Modena) knows this well. He reinterprets the Italian tradition with a good dose of imagination, using high quality ingredients, including the black truffle.
For gourmets lovers, the experience at EXÉ is really complete. Firstly, you learn how to make egg pasta with the cooking woman called “sfoglina”, following the original Emilian tradition; secondly, the chef teaches you how to cook some truffle specialties, and the experience is concluded by tasting together what everyone has prepared.
In the Valtaro woods, in the province of Parma, between November and March, you can indulge in a truffle day, an exciting excursion in search of the precious underground tuber. Accompanied by an Environmental Hiking Guide, with the help of search dogs and thanks to the collaboration of help Mario Marini of the farm Il Cielo di Strela, the participants learn to identify, collect, clean, and cook the black truffle.
The excursion lasts about 3 hours, it costs 200 euros (a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 6 people); the truffle lunch costs 40 euros per person, all included. (Booking required: info@ilcielodistrela.it).