6 Truffle Festivals to Visit During a Vacation in Italy

The San Giovanni d’Asso Truffle Festival takes place outside of Siena on the second and third weekends of November to celebrate Tuscany’s white truffle. The truffle museum opens on the weekends throughout the year and provides insight into the delicious flavors, powerful aromas, and historical 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 served aboard the train.

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. 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 robust tastes of the white truffle. Alba’s White Truffle Fair and Market culminates with an enthusiastic donkey race and the popular white truffle walk for tourists. The admired and captivating truffle world auction also takes place during this festival.

The truffle festival in Sant'Angelo in Vado, approximately eight miles from Urbania, occurs over several weekends in October. 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 itself already provides.

The town of Savigno hosts the Sagra del Tartufo on the first three Sundays of November and is located near Emilia-Romagna's capital of 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.

The town of Pietralunga hosts the Trade Fair of Truffles each year in mid-October, which is close to Perugia, the capital of Umbria. The exhibition brings the indulgent flavors and powerful aromas of the white truffle to the forefront to showcase traditional dishes, typical flavors in restaurants and taverns, 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.

The truffle festival of San Pietro Avellana takes place during the first weekend of November, outside of Molise’s capital city of Campobasso. 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.

Whether scouring the woodlands of Umbria or a private hillside in Piedmont, you can find the right truffle hunting excursion for you with our Italy Food Tours to help you search for decadent black winter truffles or find the smooth and elusive flavor of the white truffle. Uncover more of the secrets of Italy’s hidden corners with our Italy Travel Guide to find destinations you wish to experience. You can speak with an Italy travel specialist to help plan your next trip by completing a Trip Request or call us at 1-888-265-9707.