While Romans originally settled Alba Pompeia, it wasn’t until 1788 that Vittorio Pico gave an official name to the fungus with an astonishing earthy, woody, cheese-like aroma and flavor.  Its rare nature and rumors of aphrodisiac qualities spread through Europe, quickly making it one of the most expensive items on the menu.  Recently scientists have discovered a volatile alcohol closely related to testosterone, so the rumors may be more than that.  After the Second World War, Giacomo Morro spent much of his life bringing the Alba White Truffle to the world.  Today it is the only guaranteed truffle, each one being carefully evaluated by experts before it is sold. Every truffle must be found, and since they grow totally underground beneath specific trees under precise conditions, help is needed.  Traditionally, female pigs were used to sniff them out, but Truffle hunters, or trifulau, now train dogs for the job, as they are less likely to eat the delicacy.

Medieval traditions will capture your imagination during the Truffle Bacchanal, a celebration of music, wine and food held on one Saturday night a year.  With torches, period costumes, traditional dances and performances, centuries will slip away for the evening.  Smells of local cured meats, Piemonte wine, cheese, chocolate and, of course, Alba Truffle dishes are sure to keep your appetite strong.  You can visit The Tartufi Morra shop and honor the father of the Alba truffle trade.  It is in the historical center of town and you can smell or own the White Truffle in many forms, from condiments to finished foods.

The Donkey Race is a hilarious, fun part of the festivities.  It was started to mock the famous horse race in Asti, as in the 13th century Asti conquered Alba, burned the wine vineyards and smugly held their horse race in the defeated town.  Now in the Palio degli Asini, hundreds of costumed figures parade to trumpets and drums, waving banners and flags to start the race.  While all in fun, the competition is fierce, with each district trying to win the race and the crowd’s admiration.  Another costumed festival is the Investiture of the Podesta.  The most powerful magistrate of the late 12th century onward, the Podesta is awarded the title and paid his due homage as part of the White Truffle Festival.

It is said White Truffles are at their flavorful peak within three days of harvest.  A number of markets during the Fair will delight the novice or the expert Truffle connoisseur. Hundreds of vendors will offer Piemonte wine, food, produce and crafts.  Medieval sorcerers attended such fairs, and you might see some again. Today, the love of nature those sorcerers practiced is called organic agriculture, and it guarantees the freshest, most flavorful of Italian produce and local wine, including the famous Alba Truffle.

The exhibition describes the history of the chocolate, from the birth in the deep jungle of Equador through the preparations of the columbians, illustrated by pictures, videos and text of the industriel work and the consumption of chocolate.

The europeans got to know chocolate in the 15.-17. century, where it arrived through Spain and fast became a fashionable beverage reserved for the high society. Fine porcellain were made, masterly decorated cups so that the this new beverage could be drunk under the best conditions.

In the following century during the innovation of technology, the chocolate developed from being a fashionable beverage to become available to everyone in eatable pieces.

The exhibition at Ferrero displays amongst others historical equipment used in the production, and several paintings showing the earlier consumption of this new fashion-symbol.

Address:
Fondazione Ferrero
Strada di Mezzo, 44 – Alba(Cuneo)

Opening hours: tuesday-friday 15.00 – 19.00 pm, saturday and sunday 10.00 – 19-00 pm, monday closed.

Free admittance.

Our personel recommandations are the Langhe Golf Club in Monforte and the Golf Club Cherasco.

The Langhe Golf Club in Monforte offers a 9-hole double departure course that was designed by Graham Cooke. It is a true jewel of a course set in amongst the vineyards and surrounded by enchanting landscapes.

The course is 3884 meters and par is 62. The season is from March to November.

Further information at www.gagliassi.com

Below the ancient town of Cherasco, where the river Tanaro meets the river Stura, you will find the Cherasco Golf Club. When you are playing this 18-hole course it is easy to get distracted by the beautiful scenery that surrounds you.

This 18-hole course was designed by Marco Croze, and is laid out over two altimetric plains, which give the course double aspect og both hills and plains. Several lakes and watercourses make the holes both more demanding and more scenic at the same time. When the course was created over 4000 trees were added to the ones that were already there. Those trees make the course even more demanding with several very long and well defended par 3 and par 4 holes.

The Golf Club Cherasco has a large Driving range with 6 covered positions and 9 open with artificial grass. You can also mit from natural grass, giving a total of 30 positions with two target greens.

Furthermore there is an excellent practice putting green, a separate chipping green and bunker.

The course is 6041 meters and par is 72.  For further information visit;  www.golfcherasco.com

Ingredients (for 6 people)

• 1 pheasant
• butter, onion, carrot
• 1 glas of white wine
• stock, salt and pepper
• white truffle from Alba

Clean the pheasant, divide it into pieces, brown it with butter, onion, carrot, a pinch of salt, moisten it with a glass of white wine and a little boiling broth. Add pepper as necessary, cover the casserole and reduce the heat.

When the pheasant is cooked, dilure juices with boiling broth, strain it, return it to the heat and reduce it to a syrupy consistency.

Pour the sauce on the pieces of pheasant, already on a serving plate, covering them with a truffle from Alba.

Recommended wines
Perfect with a Nebbiolo d’Alba or a Roero DOC