6/5/2024 TheTruffle Hunting Experience

Truffles can be controversial. You either love them or hate them, but one thing everyone agrees upon is that they are expensive and budget-busting.

Despite the controversies, village mountain generations in Italy continue to gather truffles and mushrooms from the surrounding natural birch forests. Most truffle hunting uses a highly trained dog (or sometimes a pig) whose sense of smell can sniff out the delicacy two feet below the soil. 

Truffle hunting season starts in October and continues for about three months. The hunter must be quick to respond to the dog's initial digging, but digging too quickly can damage the truffle while attempting to remove it from the soil, which seriously impacts the selling price.

This was the second time I watched the hunt during my travels. Istria is one of the three wealthiest Croatian regions due to its abundance of truffles, including three kinds of black truffles and giant white truffles priced at approximately $2,380 per pound!

The Brunello patriarch and his truffle-hunting dogs on the farm

in San Pietro a Pettine.

I never understood the fawning over truffles, especially since 

they resemble dog turds after excavation and cost an arm and a leg.

Kodak moments with Spoleto sad goodbyes.

I don't know who took this photo, 

but they did something with my camera that cracked me up.