Truffle Fair The fragrant autumn of Alba

Alba, a city of Roman origins, is the queen of the Langhe and Roero. On the long, bustling Via Vittorio Emanuele, a favorite place for strolling, elegant stores and important historic buildings and churches from all eras face each other. Not to be forgotten, every Saturday among the medieval houses of the historic center, there is a market with hundreds of stalls, a great bazaar of entertainment and folklore.

Alba’s great fortune is the White Truffle, its distinctive scent from October to November pervades the entire town, but especially so in the Galleria della Maddalena where buyers from all over the world engage in a game of rewarding exchanges. The bargaining ritual of Tuber magnatum Pico all played on the sense of smell,is exciting knowing that each trifulau has patiently beaten numerous paths under the moonlight with the cooperation of a highly trained dog.

Every year the most important event is the International White Truffle Fair that starts in October and ends in November is the event that has enabled Alba to become the Truffle Capital of the World. The town is reached by crowds of tourists not only Italians but also many Germans and British not to mention a few groups of Japanese and Americans. There are about a hundred exhibition booths, the Maddalena courtyard is transformed into a living room where only here one can admire, smell and buy white truffles not to leave out all the other quality products such as salami, wine, honey and cheese produced in our areas. In short, a taste fair signed quality but above all tradition, history and authentic flavor.

Alba gets into the swing of the truffle fair by starting right with the donkey palio or donkey race, the beautiful donkeys that make Alba the most unique palio town in the world. There are nine boroughs in the city, and from one year to the next they prepare for the race that awards the victory of the parade and the race to the best borough. The medieval parade, with more than a thousand figures in typical costumes, winds through the city streets, ending in the palio arena just before the start of the donkey race. A thrill that tourists remember for a long time.

The fair concludes with theWorld WhiteTruffle Auction born in 1999. The main venue is the Sala delle Maschere (Hall of Masks) in the Castle of Grinzane Cavour and, by means of a satellite link, it communicates live with two other world destinations (in past editions they have touched on such destinations as Hong Kong, Moscow, Las Vegas, London, Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles). Since its first year, the event has been characterized as an international event destined to increase the notoriety of the White Truffle of Alba in Italy and abroad.

Click here to see the updated White Truffle of Alba Fair calendar.

In Alba also, the Giorgio Busca Social Theater offers a rich program of theatrical , opera and entertainment performances, of considerable interest, among other things, the F.Eusebio archaeological museum, the Cathedral and the Romanesque church of San Domenico.

The Ferrero Foundation, a short walk from the hotel, hosts exhibitions of international significance.

For all tourists staying in the Langhe and Roero, all towns offer continuous food and wine events; you can find the updated list on the Langhe Experience website and on LoveLanghe.