Le Marche truffle hunting trips
Come and hunt truffles in Italy, spend a day hunting Le Marche’s precious black truffles and white truffles!
Our Le Marche Truffle hunt is great fun and a lovely way to explore the incredible local Italian landscape with a local hunter and his hunting dogs.
Truffle hunting in Le Marche
If you read the guide books you would think that le Marche’s truffles can only be found in Acqualagna, but stroll 5 minutes from our villa and you will see that Le Marche has a well kept secret and it is abundant with woodlands and truffle reserves.
Our Le Marche Truffle hunt is for passionate foodies with passion, a love of nature and a bit of fitness (we don’t walk more than a few miles).
The truffle hunter has a well trained hound and more importantly a working knowledge of the Le Marche terrain and a good level of experience of the best trees and truffle zones. An experienced truffle hunter, he knows the laws that protect the truffle reserves and the types of truffle in this part of Italy, to ensure that the annual development of truffles remains sustainable.
The truffles you hunt will depend upon the time of your visit to Italy. Please see below.
The Light marzuolo truffle.(Tuber Albinum Pico)
The light coloured truffle, looks similar to the Tuber Magnatum, they are both smooth and whitish in colour but become darker when they ripen. The fragrance of the truffle is initially subtle and mellow but later becomes strong and heady. This Le Marche truffle grows predominantly in pine and conifer woods and has a picking season goes from June to December.
White Truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico)
It is quite round in shape but has an undulating smooth and velvety exterior. It’s colour varies from pale yellow to dark cream and even green.
The flesh truffle’s flesh is white / yellow-greyish with light stranded veins. The aroma is pleasant and far less earthy than other truffles. It is symbiotic with oaks, limes, willows and poplars.
The white truffle grows symbiotically on the roots of oaks, limes, willows and poplars in soft, damp, well aerated earth with plenty of calcium- making it very rare and prestigious. White truffle hunting is permitted from September to December.
The summer truffle Tuber Aestivum Vitt.
The summer truffle or “scorzone” can be very large in size and looks similar to the black truffle with brown knobbly surface but its flesh is yellow. It has a deep, mouth filling aromatic flavour and is found in sandy and clay soiled woodlands. It is well loved by the people of Le Marche and used as an ingredient in many recipes and products. This truffle is hunted and collected from June to December.
Le Marche truffle hunt- Price and Information
The Le Marche truffle hunt will cost less than most other truffle hunting in Italy, for a 2-3 hour hunt the cost is €40 per head for 7 people or more/ €45 for 5 or 6/ €50 for 3 or 4/ €55 for 2 or €100 solo. and you will get to keep the truffles found (often valued at nearly the price of the course).
If you are taking part in the cooking course you can use the truffles as an ingredient at one of the classes.