Tuscany · food wine
Tuscan Truffle Season Guide
White truffle in autumn, black truffle year-round.
Tuscany is one of the world's great truffle regions — particularly San Miniato (white) and the woods around San Giovanni d'Asso (white and black). Hunting truffles is a memorable half-day for any food traveller, and the lunch that follows is the real climax.
White-truffle season (Tuber magnatum)
Late September to late December, peak November. The world's most expensive ingredient: €3,000–€6,000 per kilo at the source. San Miniato hosts the Sagra del Tartufo Bianco each November weekend — a serious foodie event.
Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum & aestivum)
Aestivum (summer black, milder) May to September; melanosporum (winter black) November to March. Far cheaper, more versatile, available all year in some form. Perfect for shaved tagliolini or scrambled eggs.
What a hunt looks like
60–90 minutes walking with a local tartufaio and his Lagotto Romagnolo dog. The dog finds, the human extracts — by hand, so the mycelium continues producing next year. Followed by a long multi-course truffle lunch at the hunter's farmhouse or estate.
At a glance
- •White truffle: late Sept to late Dec, peak November
- •Black summer truffle: May–September
- •Sagra del Tartufo Bianco, San Miniato: November weekends
- •Lagotto Romagnolo dogs: the only Italian truffle breed
- •Hunt + lunch: book 2 weeks ahead in peak season
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