Truffle & Chianti small-group tour in a nutshell
This is a wine and food experience to discover the fascinating world of truffle. Tuscany produces five different species of truffles so every month of the year we can hunt truffles. This truffle tour provides an exclusive opportunity to go hunting for this flavorsome tuber in the footsteps of professional truffle hunters and their specially trained dogs of the super cute, highly skilled Lagotto Romagnolo breed.
You will take part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience and search for truffles with a truffle-hunting dog through the woods of Tuscany. Follow the dog hurriedly through the forest as he sniffs about and experience the surge of excitement as he starts digging for this edible treasure (white truffles go for nearly $15,000 per kg). Once it is found, you will be treated to a delightful meal that incorporates the truffle that you just discovered!
After lunch, make your way through the scenic Tuscan landscape into the region of Chianti. Here you will have the opportunity to experience what is arguably Italy's most renowned wine, Chianti. Your guide will teach you everything you need to know about the process of winemaking and the techniques involved in attaining a better appreciation of the wine through the tasting.
While Tuscany is often associated with exceptional wines, it is especially renowned for its truffles.It may come as a surprise to some that San Miniato, a small town in Tuscany, supplies nearly 80% of the world's precious white truffles.
My husband and I booked this experience as part of our honeymoon and it was 100% worth it! We're from the US and have been road tripping down Italy and this was definitely a huge highlight of our trip. Hillary is AMAZING! She's so personable and hilarious, and gave us invaluable tips for the rest of our trip. She is also incredibly knowledgeable about wines, and was able to recommend things we had never thought to try before. We learned a ton, and had so much fun! It was also great to see what a good relationship she has with everyone we met on our trip from Franchesca to the waiters. The food we received with lunch was delicious, and we couldn't leave without purchasing truffle items to take home. We both recommend this for anyone interested in truffles. It was a day of great vibes, great food, and great laughs.
Hilary was our guide and she was so personable, entertaining, and knowledgeable! She knew some people in our group were celebrating their honeymoon (including us) and went above and beyond to make it special! I highly recommend this experience, it was so great!
We were picked up by Hilary on time, and she gave us a brief history of Italy and why all the foods are different everywhere one travel in Italy! On the way out to meet Francesca and Choco (our truffle hunting guides), Hilary, who is a sommelier, gave us background on the different varieties of truffles and the characteristics of the Chianti Classico. Francesca’s family home is beautiful, and we spent time meeting Choco and doing some searching for truffles. Truffles found, we went back and had a lovely meal with truffles in every course. In the afternoon, we went to a Chianti wine estate and tasted differing ages of Chianti and a Supertuscan. Hilary showed us how to taste the wines and experience their best qualities. The wines were very good, and some were purchased! On the way back to Florence, Hilary gave us tips on the San Giovanni festival the next day in Florence and where to get some excellent gelato - very good gelato! It was a wonderful day, and I would highly recommend this trip.
This was an excellent tour. Hilary is an AMAZING guide, very personable, and such a great source of information. She is very knowledgeable about Italian history, wine, and truffles and is full of lots of fun facts. I learned tons during the tour and the conversation was fun and flowing. The truffle hunt was a fun adventure. Francesca has been truffle hunting since she was 6 years old. She explains a lot as you go along and pointed out other interesting things on the walk such as fossils and poisonous mushrooms. Choco is very friendly and well-trained and sniffed out some great truffles for us to try. Would recommend wearing some pants that can withstand getting snagged here and there on some prickly plants/bushes as you're really getting in the woods to follow Choco and find the truffles. The villa for lunch is a gorgeous setting. Francesca and her mother were very welcoming. The truffle-based lunch with wine was delicious. We had truffle bruschetta, fried egg with truffle, truffle pasta, and sweet wine with cookies for dessert. Wine tasting had a great selection of wines and meats for pairing. It was very informative and in a beautiful setting. Hilary taught me a lot about how to pick and order good wines as well as tips and tricks for tastings. Would recommend this tour to anyone who loves truffles, wine, and beautiful scenery!