Truffle Search in the Langhe

There's a reason truffle hunters have always worked in secret. The best patches are family knowledge, passed down and never written anywhere. For ninety minutes, Massimiliano Bertello lets you in on it.

Massimiliano is a trifulau, a traditional Piedmontese truffle hunter, and he's been doing this for 40 years. His grandfather Michele taught his father Pierino, who taught him, and today he searches these same hills with his dog Kelly at his side. You'll walk out together into the woods, real truffle ground, not a show staged for tourists.

So why let outsiders in on something this secret? Because the only way to really understand what makes these truffles special is to see the work up close, and because some secrets are worth sharing, even if not all of them.

What you're watching is a partnership built over years: the quiet commands in Piedmontese dialect, the pause, the moment Kelly's nose locks onto something and she starts to dig. Massimiliano explains it all as you go, how the Alba white truffle grows, why the location matters so much, what separates a good trifulau from a lucky one. A few truffles are placed in advance so you're guaranteed to see the whole process, but because you're on genuine truffle ground, it's entirely possible Kelly finds one that grew there on her own.

At the end of the walk, you can buy what's been found and take it home, the most direct souvenir there is.