Truffle Hunting in Tuscany
Italy is a country I’ve come to know and and to love, and have fond memories of the trips I’ve taken there. Our last trip there was with friends to the Tuscany region, Lake Como and Venice. It was a fabulous 10-day excursion that began in a two-bedroom villa in a farmhouse located on a centuries old wine estate outside of Florence , which turned out to be a perfect homebase for exploring the Tuscan hillside. The family-owned estate lovingly makes their own wine and olive oil which are both amazing. Breakfast was delivered to our door each morning, and one evening we had a private wine dinner in the main estate created by the family’s chef!
Finding new experiences and getting to know the local area is my favorite part of traveling. Tuscany is a region in Italy where truffles grow, but for white truffles you have to wait until late fall or early winter to find them. We had a day dedicated to finding this precious “mushroom” and because finding them is not easy, we had to hunt for them! We met with our local tour guide, our expert truffle hunter named Claudio and his inseparable friendly dog Bracco, and began our hunt! (A little Italian lesson: to hunt - cacciare; a hunter – il cacciatore; Hunter's stew – Chicken cacciatore!)
While walking in the woods to reach the area where the truffles grow, Claudio explained to us (through our guide) the characteristics of the different types of truffles, their properties and differences. When the dog was working, he was sniffing like crazy trying to find where the treasures were, but once he stopped we knew he had found it. Claudio didn't allow him to dig up the truffle because the animal could ruin the truffle roots, so Claudio carefully pulled away at the dirt surrounding it and brushed off the white truffle. Claudio clearly explained that this procedure is a must for these delicacies. Bravo to Bracco - good hunting! On the way back to our car, I tried out my elementary Italian on Claudio and actually was able to converse with him. He was good natured about trying to understand my take on the Italian language and we both used a lot of hand gestures to help!
After our hunt and hugs goodbye to Claudio (remember hugs?!), we drove about an hour and a half to where we would meet Chef Claudio (another Claudio!) with our treasure and immediately we went into the kitchen to make our lunch. After preparing fresh pasta, Bistecca (rib eye steak) and cantucci (little Italian cookies) for dessert, we finally sat down to eat together with the chef!! The precious truffles were shaved over our fresh pasta and over perfectly grilled Bistecca. This decadent lunch was topped off with espresso, a bit of vin santo and our homemade cantucci. To experience the kindness of both Claudios, to appreciate firsthand the ancient art of truffle hunting and creating homemade pasta and Italian cookies will forever be part of our favorite memories of Italy!
