When the oak woods turn copper and gold and the first fog rises from the valleys, something ancient happens in the hills around Montalcino. It is the season of the White Truffle, the most precious ingredient on Earth, and we want you to live it from the inside.
This is the real hunt: you will walk into the forest with a local truffle hunter and his dogs, follow them along crystal clear creeks and through carpets of fallen leaves, and watch as they dig the treasure out of the earth before your eyes. You will smell it the moment it comes out of the ground, intense, earthy, intoxicating, and you will understand why people have been obsessed with this tuber for thousands of years. Our tour coincides with the famous White Truffle Festival of San Giovanni d’Asso, when the whole area is alive with the excitement of truffle season at its peak.
Small groups, maximum 12 guests. Our team of local food and wine experts will be with you from start to finish. Come hunt the truffle with us. Come taste the season.
Truffle Hunting Festival is our most immersive autumn experience: four days and three nights based in Montalcino during the November White Truffle season, when the forests smell of damp earth and the kitchens of every trattoria are transformed by the most precious ingredient in the world.
You will stay at a boutique hotel in the heart of the medieval old town, with the oak woods and the Val d’Orcia just below you. From here everything is within reach – the enotecas, the restaurants, the evening passeggiata along the town walls at sunset.
It all starts with Brunello. On the first evening a grand comparative tasting led by a local wine expert at his historic wine shop sets the stage: different soils, different micro-areas, different philosophies. Then we walk together to our welcome dinner with a white truffle menu paired with great wines of Montalcino. The first shavings of truffle on your plate, the first sip of aged Brunello, the first stories shared around the table.
The next morning we drive to our countryside farm for a hands-on cooking class focused on fresh pasta and truffle. You will make the dough with your hands, roll it, cut it, and learn how to prepare classic Italian dishes the way they have been made here for generations. Later we sit down for a long family lunch under the shed, with a view on the rolling hills that never gets old. Everything on the table comes from the farm and the land around us – and on top of it all, generous shavings of fresh white truffle on handmade pasta, on eggs, on warm crostini. The perfume fills the table before the first bite. The wines of the estate do the rest. In the afternoon we visit a Brunello winery for a private tasting of their best wines.
On the big day we walk into the forest with the truffle hunter and his dogs. Our tour coincides with the famous White Truffle Festival of San Giovanni d’Asso, and the whole area is alive with the excitement of truffle season at its peak. After a short briefing the hunter lets the dogs loose and we follow them into the undergrowth, walking along crystal clear creeks, through carpets of fallen leaves, deeper into a world that feels unchanged for centuries. The feast that follows is unforgettable: at the headquarters of the truffle hunters, their wives have been cooking since morning – the long table is set with handmade pappardelle, fried eggs, crostini, fonduta, every dish generous with fresh shavings. We open many great bottles of wine and sit together for a lunch that is loud, warm, and impossible to forget.
We close with a farewell dinner opening old vintages of Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino with the team – bottles with stories to tell. These are the moments that stay with you long after you leave.
Everything is taken care of. A private Mercedes vehicle and an English-speaking food and wine expert guide are with you throughout the tour. All lunches are included, the welcome and farewell dinners are included, and for the free evening your guide will recommend the best spots in town and make the reservation for you. You just need to arrive in Montalcino on Thursday and we handle the rest.
The tour runs on two fixed dates in November and is limited to a small group of twelve guests maximum, with a guaranteed departure from four participants. A seasonal experience tied to the actual truffle calendar, which makes it unique and unrepeatable. Once the season is over, the moment is gone. The truffle you taste today will never be found in the same spot again.
What's included
– Accommodation for 3 nights in an excellent boutique hotel with breakfast
– Private Mercedes Benz luxury vehicle
– English speaking food&wine expert guide-driver
– the truffle hunting experience with the hunter and his dogs- the cooking class
– the private visit and tasting at a Brunello vineyard
– the grand comparative Brunello tasting with Alessandro
– all the lunches with White Truffle (Friday lunch + Saturday truffle festival lunch)
– the welcome and farewell tasting dinners with us
– our consultancy and help before and during the tour
What's not included
– dinner on Day 2 (we will suggest a few options if interested)
– transfers to/from Montalcino (available on previous request)
Truffle Hunting Festival 2026
BENVENUTI A MONTALCINO!
Welcome to Montalcino, the hilltop medieval town that produces one of the greatest wines on Earth: Brunello di Montalcino. You arrive at your own pace and check in at our boutique hotel in the heart of the old town. The afternoon is yours to wander the narrow stone streets, peek into the ancient fortress, browse the small wine shops where locals pour you a glass without rush.
Take a walk along the town walls: from here you can see the entire valley, the last vineyards still holding their amber leaves, the rolling hills of Val d’Orcia stretching south towards Monte Amiata. November in Montalcino has a quieter beauty than the famous Tuscan summer – the light is softer, the air smells of woodsmoke and wet earth, and the town belongs to the locals again.
In the late afternoon we gather at Enoteca Pierangioli, Alessandro’s historic wine shop on the main street, for a grand comparative tasting of Brunello di Montalcino. Great wines from different soils, different micro-areas, different philosophies. North slope versus south slope. Clay versus galestro. Young producers versus historic estates. This is the tasting that will set the stage for everything you will drink and eat in the days to come.
Then we move together to Trattoria il Pozzo for our welcome dinner: a white truffle menu paired with great wines of Montalcino. The first shavings of truffle on your plate, the first sip of aged Brunello, the first stories shared around the table. This is where we get to know each other and start this adventure together.
FOUNDATIONS OF ITALIAN FOOD & WINE
This morning we drive a few minutes into the countryside to Locanda Demetra, Giovanni’s family farm surrounded by olive groves and vineyards with a wide view over the Val d’Orcia. His brother is waiting for us in the garden. We start with a visit of the vegetable garden and the herb beds, learning about the raw materials and the flavors that define Tuscan cooking. Then we move to the kitchen for a hands-on cooking class focused on fresh pasta and truffle: you will make the dough with your hands, roll it, cut it, and learn how to prepare classic Italian dishes and the White Truffle the way they have been made here for generations.
Later we sit down for a long family lunch under the shed, with a view on the rolling hills that never gets old. Everything on the table comes from the farm and the land around us – and on top of it all, generous shavings of fresh white truffle on handmade pasta, on eggs, on warm crostini. The perfume fills the table before the first bite. The wines of the estate do the rest. This is not a restaurant meal, this is like eating at someone’s home, the way Italians do on Sunday when the whole family gathers.
In the afternoon we visit a Brunello winery for a private tasting of their best wines, a chance to go deeper into the world of Sangiovese after yesterday’s comparative tasting. By late afternoon we drive you back to the hotel for some rest.
The evening is free: Montalcino Old Town at night is a beautiful thing, quiet and softly lit, and we will suggest our favorite spots for dinner – all within a short walk from your hotel.
WHITE TRUFFLE HUNTING FESTIVAL & BRUNELLO
This is the day you came for! Today is also the day of the White Truffle Festival of San Giovanni d’Asso, and the whole area is alive with the excitement of truffle season at its peak. But before the crowds and the market stalls, we have something special for you.
Early in the morning we pick you up and drive into the woods. The truffle hunter is waiting for us with his dogs at the edge of the forest, where the oaks grow thick and the air is damp and cold. After a short briefing he lets the dogs loose and we follow them into the undergrowth, walking along crystal clear little creeks, through carpets of fallen leaves, deeper into a world that feels like it has not changed in centuries. The dogs work fast, nose to the ground, suddenly stopping, digging with their paws. The hunter kneels beside them, pulls out a small blade, and carefully extracts the truffle from the earth. The smell hits you immediately: intense, earthy, intoxicating. You understand in that moment why people have been obsessed with this tuber for thousands of years.
By noon we arrive at the headquarters of the truffle hunters for the feast. Their wives have been cooking since morning: the long table is set with the famous recipes of the White Truffle tradition, handmade pappardelle, fried eggs, crostini, fonduta, every dish generous with fresh shavings. We open many great bottles of wine and sit together for a lunch that is loud, warm, generous, and unforgettable. This is not a refined restaurant experience – this is a celebration among friends in the heart of truffle country.
We drive you back to the hotel in the afternoon for some rest. In the evening we gather one last time for our farewell dinner. Chiara, Giovanni and Alessandro welcome you at a local restaurant where the chef has prepared a special menu for us. We open old vintages of Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino, bottles with stories to tell, and we toast to these days together. It is a dinner you will remember for a very long time.
ARRIVEDERCI!
After these intense days together you will leave Montalcino with the scent of truffle still on your hands, a full heart and a new understanding of what this corner of Tuscany truly is. Not just wine and food, but a place, a community, a rhythm of life tied to the seasons.
After check-out we can help you with transfers to your next destination – whether it is Florence, Rome, the coast or another corner of Italy. Or perhaps you will want to stay a little longer… Montalcino has a way of not letting you go.
Pickup Points: Montalcino, ask for a different pickup.
Departures: November 5th and 12th, 2026
Season: Fall
Would you like to modify this tour or design your own experience in Tuscany?
Let us know your needs and wishes and we will tailor the perfect program for your trip to Italy.
