FAIR LOCATIONS
G. Busca Theatre
3
Church of San Domenico
5
Piazza Pertinace aka Piazza San Giovanni
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Beppe Fenoglio Study Centre
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Truffle Market | AlbaQualità
Maddalena Courtyard
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The large space hosting the Alba White Truffle Market is also home to the stands of the AlbaQualità
food and wine exhibition. Here you can discover wines from the Langhe and Roero, the delights
of local artisanal confectionery, cheeses, egg pastas, cured meats and all the other food products
that have brought international fame to this area.
Lovers of the the Langhe and Roero’s great cuisine can also enjoy a bite to eat at the restaurant
area within the Fair’s pavilions.
Every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 8pm
Entry to the Truffle Market and AlbaQualità: € 2.50
Groups of more than 30: € 2
Under age 15: free
Consumer Help Desk:
National Truffle Study Centre
Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 8pm
at the Truffle Market
Monday to Friday from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm
Piazza Risorgimento 2, Alba
More information: www.tuber.it
Alba white truffles can also be bought from the town’s specialty stores throughout truffle season
(21 September – 31 January).
Cooking demos in which famous chefs revisit the themes of local cooking, paired with the best of
the Langhe and Roero’s wines. Events moderated by Paola Gula.
Chefs: Maurilio Garola, Davide Palluda, Ugo Alciati, Walter Ferretto, Alessandro Boglione.
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Every Saturday at 11am
Chef: Pasquale Laera.
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 19 October at 11am
Chefs: Manuel and Christian Costardi.
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 16 November at 11am
Buy your ticket on
To book: organizzazione@fieradeltartufo.org - +39 0173 36 10 51
TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
A sensory analysis judge will reveal the secrets of the Alba white truffle, with olfactory tastings and sensory tests.
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Workshop - Every Saturday at 11am and 3.30pm and Sunday at 11am
To book: info@tuber.it - +39 0173 228190
azza
cortemilia
savona
LE II
NUE
EXHIBITIONS
Photo Aldo Agnelli
Archivio Centro Studi Beppe Fenoglio
investiture of the podesta
Anselm Kiefer . Der Rhein / THE RHINE
The town hall is given a historical makeover, with a cast in period costume and an exciting re-enactment.
Piazza Risorgimento - Saturday 27 September at 9pm
An exhibition organized with the support of the Ceretto family and featuring the work of noted
German contemporary sculptor and painter Anselm Kiefer.
Maddalena Choir - From Saturday 13 September to Sunday 9 November - Free entry
Tuesday to Friday from 3pm to 6pm / Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm
MEDIEVAL PROCESSION
A magnificent parade through the town streets with over a thousand characters - noblewomen, knights and commoners to the sound of drums and the waving of flags. Each district will act out an episode from medieval history in the Palio arena.
Start from Piazza Savona - Sunday 5 October at 2.30pm
DONKEY PALIO
Alba’s nine districts compete for a painted cloth, the Palio, in a beautiful and exhilarating donkey race,
conducted with great respect for the animals’ welfare. The donkeys are assigned to the districts in a
draw, held at 10am in Piazza Risorgimento.
Buy your ticket on
Piazza Medford - Sunday 5 October at 4.30pm
Two captivating, tradition-packed events as the town presents itself in splendid medieval guise,
welcoming visitors with torches and music and the flavours and fragrances of the past.
Old town - Saturday 18 October from 6pm and Sunday 19 October from 10am
GUIDED TOURS
ALDO AGNELLI . PAINTER AND PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE PALIO
Church of San Domenico - From Friday 3 October to Sunday 9 November - Free entry
Monday to Sunday from 10am to 12.30pm and from 3pm to 6pm
Felice Casorati . COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS FROM EUROPE AND AMERICAS
65 paintings by Felice Casorati, including 40 from collections held by national and international museums
and institutions. Organized by Alba’s Ferrero Foundation and gam - Civic Gallery of Modern and
Contemporary Arts of Turin, in collaboration with the Piedmont regional department for historical, artistic
and ethnoanthropological heritage.
Ferrero Foundation - From Saturday 25 October 2014 to Sunday 1 February 2015 - Free entry
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3pm to 7pm and Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10am to 7pm
THE LAND WITHIN
An exhibition of the art of Massimo Berruti and Gabriella Rosso.
Church of San Giuseppe - From Saturday 11 October to Sunday 2 November - Free entry
Monday to Friday from 2.30pm to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 7pm
A HERITAGE TO EXPLORE
An exhibition of photographs of the vineyard landscapes of the Langhe and Roero and
Monferrato, the 50th Italian site to be included in the unesco World Heritage list.
Piazza Savona - From Saturday 4 October to Sunday 16 November - Free entry
UNDERGROUND ALBA
Travel with an archeologist to the heart of the town.
Sunday 28 September and every Saturday and Sunday between 4 October and 16 November
Booking essential - +39 339 734 99 49 - +39 342 643 33 95 - www.ambientecultura.it
DINNER THEATRE
PANORAMIC ALBA
wine tasting experience
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TRUFFLE BACCHANAL | MEDIEVAL FAIR
foodies Moments
IN
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ALBA TRUFFLE SHOW HEADLINE EVENTS
The Alba White Truffle Market is the place to come to find out everything there is to know about
the truffle, immersing yourself in a unique and headily scented atmosphere. Every Alba white
truffle on sale at the market has been checked by a commission before the market is opened
to the public, and this group of experts will also be available for consultation at the consumer help
desk inside the pavilions. The Alba White Truffle Market offers visitors the chance to see, touch and
smell many, many truffles, sold directly by trustworthy vendors and local truffle hunters.
PP
10
folklore
Cooking demo with Matteo Baronetto, chef at the restaurant Del Cambio, Turin
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 12 October at 11am
Cooking demo and presentation of the book Casa Rugiati by Simone Rugiati
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 19 October at 4pm
Cooking demo with Chef Rubio, star of DMAX (digital terrestrial channel 52)
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Saturday 25 October at 4pm
Cooking demo with Ken Frank of La Toque restaurant, Napa, California
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 26 October at 11am
‘Five Women in Search of Pasta’ with Anna Prandoni, editor of La cucina Italiana magazine
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Saturday 1 November at 4pm
Cooking demo ‘In Search of Lost Tastes’ with Ugo Alciati and Samanta Cornaviera
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 2 November at 11am
Presentation of the book 100% Alba by Enrico Crippa - Ceretto with La Pina & Diego di Radio DEEJAY
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Foodies - Sunday 2 November at 5pm
Events moderated by Paola Gula.
Events are free with entry to the Truffle Market and AlbaQualità: € 2.50
CO
7
Tuesday to Friday: 3pm to 6pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9am to 8pm
alba truffle show
CO
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CORSO italia
welcome unesco!
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Ente Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba
Piazza Medford 3
Ente Turismo Alba Bra Langhe e Roero
Centro Nazionale Studi Tartufo
Piazza Risorgimento 2
Eusebio Civic Museum
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Ferrero Foundation
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Piemonte on Wine
Piazza Risorgimento 2, Alba (CN)
tel + 39 0173 63 50 13
www.piemonteonwine.it
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3
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Church of San Giuseppe
13
8
VIT TO
11
via acqu
2
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VIA MAESTR A | VIA
Piazza San Paolo
mbr e
10
Sportabili
Località Toetto 2, Roddi (CN)
tel + 39 0173 61 56 70 - 366 994 37 48
www.sportabili.org
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE MARKET
ALBAQUALITÀ
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A FAIR FOR ALL (ADVICE FOR THE DISABLED)
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Piazza Medford
WINERY TOUR BOOKINGS
Consorzio Turistico Langhe Monferrato Roero
Piazza Risorgimento 2, Alba (CN)
tel + 39 0173 36 25 62
www.turismodoc.it
via pe
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Piazza Falcone
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HOTEL AND RESTAURANT BOOKINGS
Ente Turismo Alba Bra Langhe e Roero
Piazza Risorgimento 2, Alba (CN)
tel + 39 0173 35 833
info@langheroero.it - www.langheroero.it
via
via v ern
os
5
INFORmation
Ente Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba
Giostra delle Cento Torri
Piazza Medford 3,Alba (CN)
tel + 39 0173 36 10 51
info@fieradeltartufo.org - www.fieradeltartufo.org
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Piazza Savona
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Piazza Risorgimento aka Piazza Duomo
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media partners
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Palazzo Mostre e Congressi
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Via
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TECHNICAL SPONSORS
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sponsors
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River Ta
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WITH THE CONTRIBUTION OF
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River T
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WITH THE MAIN SUPPORT OF
1
Maddalena Courtyard and Choir
Eusebio Civic Museum
Enologists and sommeliers will guide you along a journey through local wine varieties.
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Workshop - Every Saturday at 5.30pm in English and every Sunday at 3.30pm in
Italian. To book: tasting@stradadelbarolo.it - +39 0173 22 09 43
Get a different perspective on the town.
Every Sunday from 5 October to 2 November
Booking recommended - +39 0173 36 40 30 - www.turismoinlanga.it
foodies moments junior
INTRODUCING ALBA
Following in the tracks of the figures who made the ‘Capital of the Langhe’ their home over the centuries.
Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October, Sunday 12 October, Saturday 25 October, Sunday 9 November
Booking recommended - +39 349 157 35 06 - +39 339 101 46 35 - associazionecollineculture@gmail.com
Dinner at the theatre, on the stage, with the flavours of the Langhe and Roero presented by chef
Maurilio Garola of the restaurant La Ciau del Tornavento, with a show by Beppe Rosso and the
a.c.t.i. company. Courses will be served directly on stage and the actors, sitting amongst the
audience, will interact with diners. All with the option of Alba white Truffles, of course.
G. Busca Theatre - Thursday 9 October at 8 pm
Show plus dinner: € 100 (Alba white truffles not included)
Buy your ticket on
organizzazione@fieradeltartufo.org - +39 0173 36 10 51
1
2
Cooking workshops for kids.
Maddalena Courtyard - Sala Workshop - Every Sunday at 4.30pm
Free event with entry to the Truffle Market and AlbaQualità: € 2.50
BEFORE THE FAIR
Events in September
Palio Weekend
Saturday 13 September
maddalena choir
21.00
la bela trifolera
Beauty contest.
Fair Weekend
Other events in town
SATURDAY 4 AND SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER
THURSDAY 9 OCTOBER
THURSDAY 9 OCTOBER
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
G. Busca Theatre
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
DINNER THEATRE
piazza risorgimento
piazza risorgimento
Sunday 21 September
sferisterio mermet
8.45
BOCCE COMPETITION and
PETANQUE EVENT
10.00
SaturDAY 18 OCTOBER
Alba Truffle Show
Palazzo comunale
MEDIEVAL PROCESSION
piazza medford
16.30
Buy your ticket on
This weekend:
• COOKING DEMO with matteo baronetto
• FOODIES MOMENTs with maurilio garola
• TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
• wine tasting experience
• foodies moments junior
GUIDED TOURS
SunDAY 28 SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY 18 JANUARY 2015
SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER
canale - piazza italia
9.00
V REGIONAL MEETING OF TRUFFLE
HUNTERS AND TRUFFLE DOGS
Piazza falcone
9.00 - 20.00
raspini village
17.00 - 20.00
Food, Wine & Music. Free tastings and meetings
with food producers, in collaboration with local
businesses and the ACA.
church of san giuseppe
21.00
‘Jazz&Co: jAZZ TASTINGS’
JCL - Italian jazz standards.
Italy’s biggest jazz hits.
SATURDAY 18 AND SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
14.00
1o.30
INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF UNESCO
SITES – EUROPEAN VINEYARD
LANDSCAPES
Piazza risorgimento
15.30
PANTALERA (TRADITIONAL BALL
GAME) IN COSTUME
EXHIBITIONS
AFTER THE FAIR
Tastings of wine from the Langhe and Roero.
Guest wines from Fogo Island, Cape Verde.
www.gowinet.it
• EARTH MARKET
• cartolina dal territorio
• la spesa in campagna
• campagna amica
This weekend:
• COOKING DEMO with simone rugiati
• presentation of the book casa rugiati
by simone rugiati
• FOODIES MOMENTs with Pasquale laera
• TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
• wine tasting experience
• foodies moments junior
SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER
14.30
21.00
wine festival
Alba Truffle Show
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
Maddalena Courtyard
Preceded by historical reenactments by the districts.
14.00 - 20.00
Maddalena Courtyard
GUIDED TOURS
investiture of the podesta
OLD TOWN
open alba
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
MARKET | ALBAQUALITà
donkey palio
piazza risorgimento
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
MARKET | ALBAQUALITà
XXVIII INTERNATIONAL ‘TRUFFLE
FAIR’ BOCCE COMPETITION
piazza savona - old town
SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER
old town
bocciodromo albese
www.triangolosport.it
Non-competitive run through the streets of Alba.
www.triangolosport.it
Maddalena Courtyard
Maddalena Courtyard
11.00
piazza garibaldi
RUN UNDER THE TOWERS
INAUGURATION OF THE
84TH INTERNATIONAL
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE FAIR
FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER
church of san giuseppe
JUNIOR RUN UNDER THE TOWERS
10.00
17.30
SATURDAY 18 AND SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER
SATURDAY 11 AND SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER
International Alba White Truffle Fair concerts with
the Alba Music Festival.
www.albamusicfestival.com
9.40
CATTLE SHOW
Other events in town
ALLOCATION OF DONKEYS TO
THE DISTRICTS
classica
piazza garibaldi
8.00
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
G. Busca Theatre
SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER
Piazza prunotto
SATURDAY 11 AND SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER
FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER
16.30
MARATHON FENOGLIO READING
Buy your ticket on
With Maurilio Garola
• EARTH MARKET
• cartolina dal territorio
• la spesa in campagna
• campagna amica
Sunday 14 September
20.00
Fair Weekend
EXHIBITIONS
old town
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
• EARTH MARKET
• campagna amica
20.00 - 24.00
SaturDAY 18 OCTOBER
TRUFFLE BACCHANAL
piazza san paolo
SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER
Organized by CLAMS.
old town
15.00
VINTAGE CAR SHOW
10.00 - 19.00
MEDIEVAL FAIR
SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER
Maddalena Courtyard
old town
10.00
9.00
FRESH MUSHROOM EXHIBITION
church of san giuseppe
Albaromatica
A market celebrating the versatility of culinary and
medicinal herbs and spices takes over the centre of
Alba.
www.turismoinlanga.it
11.00
classica
International Alba White Truffle Fair concerts with
the Alba Music Festival.
www.albamusicfestival.com
See more details
3
Fair Weekend
Other events in town
SATURDAY 25 AND SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER
4
Fair Weekend
Other events in town
WEDNESDAY 22 AND THURSDAY 23 OCTOBER
SATURDAY 1 AND SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER
Maddalena Courtyard
Cortiletto d’Alba restaurant
Maddalena Courtyard
old town
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
MARKET | ALBAQUALITà
dinner... in the dark
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
MARKET | ALBAQUALITà
open alba
20.00
A dinner served completely in the dark to help
rediscover the other senses. Wednesday in Italian,
Thursday in English.
+ 39 0173 36 60 05 | info@cortilettodalba.com | € 40
Maddalena Courtyard
Alba Truffle Show
This weekend:
• COOKING DEMO with CHEF rubio
• COOKING DEMO with ken frank (California)
• FOODIES MOMENTs with davide palluda
• TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
• wine tasting experience
• foodies moments junior
EXHIBITIONS
FRIDAY 24 OCTOBER
old town
17.00 - 20.00
open alba
Food, Wine & Music. Free tastings and meetings
with food producers, in collaboration with local
businesses and the ACA.
21.00
‘Jazz&Co: jazz tastings’
Rita Marcotulli in concert.
piazza risorgimento
This weekend:
• Presentation of the book 100% ALBA
by enrico crippa - ceretto
with la pina e diego di radio deejay
‘chef is a deejay’
• ‘Five Women in Search of Pasta’
with anna prandoni of la cucina italiana
• cooking demo with ugo alciati and
samanta cornaviera
• FOODIES MOMENTs with ugo alciati
• TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
• wine tasting experience
• foodies moments junior
EXHIBITIONS
FESTIVAL OF BEEF AND
LANGHE BREAD
SATURDAY 25 AND SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER
Tastings organized by the Association of Alba
Butchers and Producers of ‘Pan ed Langa’ (Langhe
bread).
SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER
piazza medford
Alba Truffle Show
G. Busca Theatre
GUIDED TOURS
Maddalena Courtyard
10.00
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
piazza Falcone
Hunting competition.
DESCRIBING CRAFTSMANSHIP
Metals. Organized by Confartigianato Cuneo.
SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER
piazza risorgimento
flag festival
15.00
‘Jazz&Co: jazz tastings’
Voz e Violao: bossa nova.
SATURDAY 1 AND SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
10.00 - 18.00
THE BEST HAZELNUT IN THE
WORLD AND MOSCATO D’ASTI
DOCG
• EARTH MARKET
• campagna amica
The unique characteristics and taste quality of
pgi Piedmont hazelnuts paired with Moscato
d’Asti docg.
Other events in town
SATURDAY 8 AND SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER
WEDNESDAY 5 NOVEMBER
Maddalena Courtyard
enoclub restaurant
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
MARKET | ALBAQUALITà
dinner... in the dark
Maddalena Courtyard
Alba Truffle Show
EXHIBITIONS
• EARTH MARKET
• campagna amica
9.00 - 20.00
CHOCOLATE FROM THE
PROVINCE OF CUNEO’S ARTISAN
CONFECTIONERS AND FINE
GRAPPAS FROM THE PIEDMONT
GRAPPA INSTITUTE
Live production and tastings of chocolate
paired with some of Piedmont’s best grappas.
piazza risorgimento
9.00
BARBARESCO AND ALBA WHITE
TRUFFLE ECO-MARATHON
5th Alba Marathon.
www.triangolosport.it
11.00
classica
International Alba White Truffle Fair concerts with
the Alba Music Festival.
www.albamusicfestival.com
20.00
Other events in town
SATURDAY 15 AND SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER
THURSDAY 13 NOVEMBER
Maddalena Courtyard
church of san domenico
ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
MARKET | ALBAQUALITà
IX LANGHE AND ROERO
CHORAL FESTIVAL
Alba Truffle Show
This weekend:
• FOODIES MOMENTs
with alessandro boglione
• FOODIES MOMENTs
with manuel and christian costardi
• TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
• wine tasting experience
• foodies moments junior
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
EXHIBITIONS
SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER
church of san giuseppe
Fair Weekend
Maddalena Courtyard
SATURDAY 8 AND SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
9.00 - 20.00
6
A dinner served completely in the dark to help
rediscover the other senses.
+ 39 0173 33994 | info@caffeumberto.com | € 45
This weekend:
• FOODIES MOMENTs with walter ferretto
• TRUFFLE SENSORY ANALYSIS
• wine tasting experience
• foodies moments junior
piazza risorgimento
SUNDAY 2 NOVEMBER
church san giuseppe
Fair Weekend
GUIDED TOURS
9.00 - 20.00
9.00 - 20.00
piazza risorgimento
21.00
DESCRIBING CRAFTSMANSHIP
The typical products that exemplify Alba and
the province of Cuneo.
www.gowinet.it
TRUFFLE DOG DAY
church of san giuseppe
Metals. Organized by Confartigianato Cuneo.
LANGHE AND ROERO IN THE
PIAZZA WITH LA GRANDA
• EARTH MARKET
• cartolina dal territorio
• campagna amica
17.00 - 20.00
Food, Wine & Music. Free tastings and meetings
with food producers, in collaboration with local
businesses and the ACA.
piazza Falcone
GUIDED TOURS
old town
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
5
11.00
International Alba White Truffle Fair concerts with
the Alba Music Festival.
www.albamusicfestival.com
PIEDMONT’S PDO CHEESES AND
FINE LOCAL WINES
XV INTERNATIONAL ALBA WHITE
TRUFFLE AUCTION
SATURDAY 15 AND SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER
TOWN SQUARES AND STREETS
STREET MARKET
LOCAL FOOD MARKETS:
• EARTH MARKET
• campagna amica
church of san giuseppe
classica
12.00
Also Thursdays 20 and 27 November and 4
December.
SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER
GUIDED TOURS
piazza risorgimento
grinzane cAvour castle
20.30
10.00 - 18.00
Piedmont’s PDO cheeses (in collaboration with
ONAF) paired with great reds from the Langhe
and Roero.
11.00
classica
International Alba White Truffle Fair concerts with
the Alba Music Festival.
www.albamusicfestival.com
what is A truffle
EPIGEOUS Fungus
white truffle
SYMBIONT PLANTS
life
CYCLE
Tuber Magnatum prefers marly-chalky terrain at altitudes below 700 metres above sea level, with
HYPOGEOUS Fungus
fairly aerated but not overly permeable soil, moderate moisture in the surface layers even in the
driest months, a significant amount of limestone, a low content of phosphorous and nitrogen, a high
Truffle is the common name used for the fruiting bodies (sporocarps) of fungi from
the Tuber genus that spend their entire life cycle underground (hypogeous).
They are formed by an external layer known as the peridium.
potassium content, a ph between 6.8 and 8.5, little organic matter and spring and summer rains, ideally
close to waterways along the valley floor but without stagnant water and with a moderate slope. A specific
relationship between environmental conditions, the soil’s chemical composition and moisture and the
climate is necessary.
The internal fleshy mass, called gleba , is run through by
branching veins of varying thickness which surround
alveoli containing the large cells ( asci) that
bear the spores.
hyphae
mycorrhiza
The following symbiont trees are also suited to this type of terrain:
mycelium
SPOREs
english
oak
turkey
oak
aspen
sporocarp.
substances between truffle and plant takes place at the root level via a structure known as
downy
oak
black
poplar
silver
poplar
carolina
poplar
Tuber magnatum Pico
FRUITING BODY
Truffles must live in symbiosis with trees or shrubs in order to produce the precious
sessile
oak
goat
willow
white
willow
linden
hop
hornbeam
hazelnut
An exchange of
mycorrhiz a .
Mycorrhizae
are a kind of coupling formed by networks of branched, tubular filaments called hyphae , which wrap around the ends
of the tree’s terminal rootlets and, penetrating the first levels of root cells, form a network called a
mycelium .
Through this connection, the plant offers various substances to the fungus, receiving in exchange water and mineral
Spherical in shape, often slightly flattened
and irregular, the truffle has a pale yellow or
ochreish outer layer known as the peridium.
The flesh, or gleba, is run through by many
white, branching veins, and varies in colour
from milk white to dark pink to brownish.
Truffles vary in size. They are collected from
late summer, throughout autumn and up
until early winter.
salts. Many hyphae split off from the network and spread out, branching into the soil, in search of nutrients. When
the environmental conditions are right, a number of hyphae interlace and produce a fruiting body, with the
containing the
spores .
gleba
When the spores germinate, they produce a new mycelium.
Hypogeous (underground) fungi cannot take advantage of air currents to spread their spores. Instead,
evolution has given them a strong odour, perceptible only when the spores mature, which attracts
insects and mammals who feed on the truffle and spread the spores.
white truffles
in the kitchen
this fungus only grows wild, and no cultivation
techniques have been developed so far.
Over the last century, Tuber magnatum’s fame has spread around the world,
conquering the planet’s most fashionable tables. Its voluptuous versatility and unique
capacity to render any dish magnificent make this a very special underground fungus.
It takes only a few grams, barely ten, to embellish a plate. Recipes using truffles are based
on their versatility and ability to add value to any dish, even when not specifically created
with truffles in mind.
A few tips for fully enjoying white truffles: they should be eaten raw and shaved
thinly with a special truffle slicer over fairly neutral foods, the essential base for
showcasing their complex, intense and overwhelming aroma.
instructions
the hunt
for use
To track down a truffle, a truffle hunter or “trifolao”
requires the help of a dog with an excellent sense of smell,
trained to recognize the scent of the fungus. Truffle
hunters must have a special permit for which they
pay an annual fee. They must also follow harvesting
calendars for the different Tuber species, which vary
for every region where truffles can be found.
In Piedmont, Alba white truffles can be hunted
from 21 September to 31 January.
storage
cleaning
When a dog smells a truffle in the forest, it notifies
the hunter, who uses a special blade to extract it
In the refrigerator (3-6°C) wrapped in a paper
towel and stored in a sealed glass container. A
fresh truffle can be kept for around a week, but
should be consumed as soon as possible.
with great delicacy.
To allow the formation of new rootlets, it is of
utmost importance that the hunter replaces any
dirt removed. Then hopefully a new fruiting body
Truffles should be cleaned with a brush under
cold water to remove any soil, then carefully
dried and consumed after about ten minutes.
will form.
serving
glossary
peridium
gleba
spore
A special truffle slicer is essential to
shaving the truffle into very thin slices.
The finer the blade is adjusted
(a few tenths of a millimetre)
the more intense the
fragrance.
ascus
EATing
White truffle is a seasoning and should
always be eaten raw, never cooked. It
is perfect sliced at the table over
a fresh egg pasta like tajarin,
fried eggs or fonduta
(Italian fondue).
terminal rootlets
End part of a plant’s root.
MYcelium
The mass of hyphae that make up the vegetative part of a fungus.
ascus
Sac-like cell containing the spores.
mycorrhiza
The structure formed by the union of the hyphae and a plant’s roots.
epigeous FUNGUS
A fungus that develops its fruiting body above ground.
Peridium
External layer that protects against bacteria and other fungi.
HYPOGEOUS FUNGUS
A fungus that completes its entire life cycle below ground.
Symbiosis
Association between individuals of different species that live together in a close and mutually advantageous relationship.
gleba
Fleshy, dense internal pulp.
spore
Reproductive cell.
Graphic design and layout: UP Studio - Alba
Cover photograph: Giorgio Pulcini
Internal photographs: Stefania Spadoni
HYPHA
Filament made up of fungal cells.
Sporocarp
The fruit, i.e. the truffle, strictly speaking.
Illustrations: Massimo Ricci
Printing: L’Artigiana - Alba