6 Truffle Festivals to Visit in Italy on Vacation
Piedmont, Italy
The Italian truffle season takes place every fall, a brilliant time to visit the country if you wish to take in the array of dazzling truffle festivals that pop up across the Italian peninsula between October and November.
Celebrating the robust flavors of distinctive truffle varieties, in addition to the culinary heritage of Piedmont, Molise, Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, and Le Marche, these truffle festivals offer a uniquely Italian experience in which to immerse yourself during your vacation.
The following list shares the top truffle festivals in Italy by region to help you plan the route of your truffle tour.
1. San Giovanni d’Asso Truffle Festival • Tuscany
Prized truffle in Tuscany, Italy
The San Giovanni d’Asso Truffle Festival takes place outside Siena on the second and third weekends of November to celebrate Tuscany’s white truffle. You can visit the festival on Tuscany tours and vacations that include nights in Siena.
The truffle museum opens on the weekends throughout the year and provides insight into the delicious flavors, powerful aromas, and historic usage of truffles in local culinary heritage.
During the festival, a steam engine with antique carriages offers visitors a scenic ride, with a truffle lunch option aboard the train. The experience is a must for fans of white truffles traveling to the Tuscan countryside.
2. Alba White Truffle Fair and Market • Piedmont
White Truffle Fair and Market in Alba, Italy
Alba’s White Truffle Fair and Market is consistently one of Italy’s best celebrations of the white truffle and the event takes place on weekends from early October to mid-November. Hosted in the Piedmont region, you can visit the festival on northern Italy tours and vacations.
The fair and market started in 1931 and it continues to draw visitors from all over the world. Entertainment occurs in the form of night concerts, while food stands promote regional flavors that highlight the white truffle’s robust tastes.
The event culminates with an enthusiastic donkey race and the popular white truffle walk for tourists. The captivating truffle world auction also takes place during this festival and travelers can participate therein.
3. Sant’Angelo in Vado Truffle Festival • Le Marche
Sant'Angelo in Vado, Italy
The truffle festival in Sant'Angelo in Vado, approximately eight miles from Urbania, occurs over several weekends in October. Less than three hours from Bologna, you may wish to visit the festival on exclusive Emilia-Romagna itineraries, with nights in Bologna.
While the festival takes place in the fall, the town of Sant'Angelo in Vado celebrates the white truffle of Le Marche year-round with history, art, and culture that reflect two millennia of Celtic and Roman heritage.
Locals have turned truffle hunting into a symphony, adding sound and music through live performances to the burst of flavor and aroma that the truffle provides.
4. Savigno Sagra del Tartufo • Emilia-Romagna
White and black truffles on display
The town of Savigno hosts the Sagra del Tartufo on the first three Sundays of November near Emilia-Romagna's capital, Bologna.
The event pours through the town's medieval streets, with most shops promoting the varieties of white truffles found around the province. The Sagra del Tartufo began in 1983, celebrating the cultural gastronomy of the region that has been crowned by the renowned white truffle.
Exploring Bologna during the festival, you can enjoy the best dishes to try in Emilia-Romagna, with the celebrated white truffle infusing several traditional delicacies.
5. Pietralunga Mostra Mercato del Tartufo • Umbria
Truffles in Umbria, Italy
The town of Pietralunga, close to Perugia, the capital of Umbria, hosts the Trade Fair of Truffles each year in mid-October. Bordering Tuscany and between Florence and Rome, you can easily visit the festival on Italy tours from Rome.
The exhibition brings the indulgent flavors and powerful aromas of the white truffle to the forefront to showcase traditional dishes, typical flavors, and an assortment of forward-thinking recipes based on customary ingredients of the region.
The weekend hosts quality cultural, historical, and folkloric events that revolve around the white truffle of Umbria, drawing an international crowd.
6. San Pietro Avellana • Molise
Landscape of Molise, Italy
The truffle festival of San Pietro Avellana takes place during the first weekend of November, outside Molise’s capital city, Campobasso. Less than three hours from Naples, you can visit the festival on southern Italy tours, with nights at the coastal gem.
San Pietro Avellana is also called the “Home of the White Truffle” due to the gigantic truffle market held during the festival. The event has brought Molise to the forefront of truffle destinations by promoting the large percentage of Italy’s truffles that originate from the often-overlooked region.
Decadent dishes are served during the festival, such as the regional specialty of gnocchi with truffle and caciocavallo fondue.
Visit the Best Truffle Festivals in Italy
Truffle festival in Alba, Italy
Whether scouring the woodlands of Umbria or a private hillside in Piedmont, you can find the right truffle festivals for you with our Italy food tours. For more insight into truffle season, explore everything you need to know about truffle-hunting tours in Italy.
Planning ahead to visit Italy’s truffle festivals and top Italian food destinations, you can also discover more information in our Italy food and wine travel guide.
