The International Truffle Fair
Alba, the capital of the Langhe, is a small, elegant city on the Tanaro river, known as the "city of a hundred towers" for the medieval tower houses that still rise above its historic centre, with the Gothic cathedral of San Lorenzo and pedestrian streets lined with shops of wines, cheeses and sweets. It is the home of Ferrero, the company of Nutella, born here in 1946 with a cream of hazelnuts, the famous Tonda Gentile hazelnut of the Langhe.
But Alba is above all the world capital of the white truffle, the Tuber magnatum Pico, the most precious and expensive truffle in the world, which grows underground at the roots of oaks, poplars and willows in the woods of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, and can be found only with the help of trained dogs guided by the "trifolau", the truffle hunters, who go out at night to keep their secret places hidden. In 2021 UNESCO recognised the "truffle hunting and extraction in Italy" as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Every year, from October to early December, Alba hosts the Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba, with the truffle market, tastings, cooking shows and the World White Truffle Auction, where the best truffles are sold for tens of thousands of euros. Its intense aroma is best enjoyed shaved raw over tajarin, thin egg tagliolini, a fried egg or a "carne cruda all'albese".
Tip: to join a night truffle hunt with a trifolau, book through the tourist office; on the first Sunday of October the Palio degli Asini, a donkey race, is held.
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