If you love truffles, then why not take a truffle hunting holiday in Tuscany?
Truffles – the fungi, not the rich dark chocolates – are one of the finest delicacies in Italy. And autumn is the truffle hunting season, when dedicated truffle hunters venture into the woods to search for this gourmet treat. Tuscany is particularly rich in truffles which, according to the Romans, are the ultimate aphrodisiac. While black truffles are fairly widespread, Italy is one of the few places in the world where you can find the rarest truffle of all, the white truffle - tartufo bianco.
Two Night Truffle Hunt in Siena
Now you can go on a special two night truffle hunting break at the Grand Hotel Continental in Siena, one of the most stunning cities in Tuscany. You’ll be able to go out into the surrounding Chianti hills or the Cinta Senese with a professional guide and your own truffle hunting hound, to search for this famed fungus. Pigs were traditionally used to search for truffles, but they tend to use dogs these days as, unlike the pigs, they can be trained not to eat what they find. You’ll probably go out in the morning for around three hours (although dedicated truffle hunters used to venture out around midnight - that’s when the truffles are meant to smell most strongly). Make sure you pack some stout shoes and a warm jacket – it can get chilly in Tuscany in the autumn.
Truffles grow underground in woodland and are, weight for weight, one of the most expensive foods in the world. Rare white truffles can cost well over £1,500 (around US $3,000) a kilo depending on quality and seasonal abundance. The black version is rather less expensive.
Truffle on White Tagliolini
Those in the know say that truffles should only be eaten on white tagliolini with butter - the truffle is freshly grated over the pasta. It’s considered important to have a bland base, as the truffle flavour needs to be savoured. Other ways of eating white truffles include grating them over risotto or even over scrambled eggs.
Grand Hotel Continental’s Truffling Package costs from £375 (US $ 756, 553 euros) per person - based on two sharing a room - and includes the trip with a trained dog and professional guide in the Tuscan hills. Also included are two nights’ accommodation in this five-star hotel within Siena’s city walls, a specially prepared truffle-based lunch, breakfast each day and a pair of tickets to the local Santa Maria della Scala Museum.
The price is based on two people sharing a room, subject to availability and is valid from October 2007 to March 2008.
