Truffle Hunting in Italy

If you, like me, have an affinity for food and especially dishes incorporating truffles, then there can be no greater experience to be had than the Truffle Hunter’s (www.trufflehunter.co.uk) weekend away in the Sibilini Mountain National Park; right in the heart of where some of Europe’s finest truffles are hunted! I have become a regular patron of Truffle Hunter, simply because they offer the best and easiest way to get one’s hands on fresh truffles! I then saw that they were offering a weekend away so that people like you and me (who appreciate fine dining) could delve into the world of the intrepid truffle hunter! It took me all of ten minutes to convince my husband, since he too is a culinary enthusiast, and we booked ourselves into Truffle Hunter’s exciting holiday program!

A month later, we returned to Devon from a whirlwind romance with untouched natural beauty, food that could well be served in heaven and fantastic experiences that took us deep into the heavy forests blanketing the flanks of the Italian Sibilini Mountain range. Wine tastings, luxurious accommodation, the greatest company and (my favorite) cooking lessons dispensed by a chef with years of experience in preparing gourmet meals with truffles! But perhaps I am getting ahead of myself… my husband and I arrived in Italy by rail and were met at the Foligno railway station by one of the members of the Truffle Hunter team. He drove us into the charming Italian country-side where our activities that weekend were to be hosted.

We stopped just outside the quaint little village of Colmurano and, much to our delight, our accommodation was simply lovely. It came beautifully furnished and made one feel as if they had travelled back in time to quaint and rural Italy, complete with all the modern luxuries, of course! We then met our hostess and chef for the weekend, Monica Santoleri, who owns her own restaurant Terra Nostra. My husband (ever the wine connoisseur, or so he’d like to thing) delved into the beautiful Italian wines of the region while we were given a fascinating lecture about truffles, what they are, how they grow and various other particulars on the varieties in the region. Our meal that evening was prepared by none other than ourselves under Chef Monica’s watchful eye and helpful instruction! And using the fresh truffles of the region too!

The following day was a flurry of exquisite experiences, which started with an early morning truffle hunting walk into the forest. Professional Truffle Hunter Nando and his two dogs actually managed to unearth a handful of golfball sized truffles! Monica also accompanied us and provided us with fascinating information on the history and natural heritage of the region, the truffles that grew there and in fact anything and everything else I could manage to ask her! After our healthy walk and exciting truffle discoveries, we were treated to a mouth-watering gourmet lunch and then in the evening (much to my husband’s pleasure) a hosted wine tasting session! I didn’t recognize any of the names – all the wines were from the Italian Marche region and bore names such as Vernaccia, Pecorino, Verdicchio and Bianchello. Dinner that evening was in Urbisaglia, a town located on the ruins of an ancient Roman city, at a restaurant called Le Logge. Needless to say, the setting was bursting with romantic charm and historical intrigue, not to mention incredible food and wine!

After a full day, we retired that evening with firm smiles upon our faces and only a single regret: that the Truffle Hunter holiday was only a weekend long! The following morning, we enjoyed our last beautifully cooked meal, bid a fond farewell to the Truffle Hunting team and were transported back through the charming country-side to the Foligno railway station. The Truffle Hunting weekend away was simply brilliant and filled with incredible food, wine, company and breath-taking experiences. I would recommend this to all, whether you have tasted the delights of a truffle or not!