Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba

The Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba is the great autumn event of Piedmont, drawing gourmets, chefs, and visitors from around the world to the Langhe town of Alba in the heart of its UNESCO-listed vineyard landscape. Running across weekends from October into late November, the fair centres on the Mercato Mondiale del Tartufo, the World Truffle Market, where the prized tartufo bianco d'Alba, the white truffle, is laid out under glass, judged for quality, weighed, and sold at prices that rise and fall with each year's harvest. Around this fragrant centrepiece the whole town becomes a celebration of Langhe gastronomy, with tastings of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera wines, hazelnut sweets and chocolate, local cheeses, cured meats, and the egg-rich tajarin pasta over which the truffle is famously shaved. Cooking demonstrations, sensory truffle analysis, wine masterclasses, and food stalls fill the historic centre, while the surrounding Langhe hills offer cellar visits, truffle hunts with trained dogs, and seasonal restaurant menus built around the harvest. The fair is also accompanied by the colourful medieval Palio degli Asini donkey race and historic procession, adding a festive, traditional dimension. Truffle prices are set by weight and quality and fluctuate by the day, so buyers should taste, smell, and compare before purchasing, while preserved truffle products such as oils, butters, and pastes offer more affordable and portable souvenirs. As the showcase of Piedmont's most celebrated luxury ingredient, set amid some of Italy's greatest vineyards, the Alba truffle fair is the essential autumn experience for food and wine lovers in the region.