The Best Guide to the Alba Truffle Festival in 2024

Fall is undoubtedly the best time of year to be in Piedmont. The splendid colours of Autumn are in full swing, the wine harvest is nearing completion, the town is enveloped in a romantic blanket of nebbia or fog, and the white Alba truffle is back in season. If you’re a food and wine lover, you absolutely need to make a trip to the region at this time of the year, and attending the Alba Truffle Festival is an experience you cannot miss! Keep reading to find out how to make the most of your trip.

Where is Alba?

Alba is considered the ‘capital’ of the Langhe wine region in Piedmont, Italy. Piedmont is the most Northern Italian region and was home to the Kings of Savoy as well as the first capital of Italy for a few years. Alba is South-East of Turin and about an hour’s drive away from the capital.

Why visit Alba?

This sweet provincial capital is well deserving of a visit during a trip to Piedmont. With just over 30,000 people living in the city, it’s a small town that still retains local flavours and a whole lot of charm. Besides being the capital of the Langhe, it’s also home to Nutella! There are many great reasons to visit including:

• Alba International White Truffle Fair – make sure to book your tickets in advance!
• Tour the centro storico
• Visit the Alba towers in Piazza Duomo
• Underground Alba tour to explore Ancient Roman ruins
• Barolo wine tasting
• Enjoy the delicious local cuisine
• Use it as a base to explore the rest of the Langhe region

What are white truffles?

Pure deliciousness! Alba and Piedmont are famed for their white truffles that grow naturally in the countryside. It’s important to understand that whilst you can farm black truffles, the same can’t be said for the white ones. The Alba white truffle, or tartufi bianchi, is a tuber that grows near the roots of oak, hazelnut and chestnut trees (Piedmont is also famed for their hazelnuts!) The truffle Alba has an intense aroma and deep earthy flavour, is rather knobby and has a pale golden colour. You can only find these truffles with the help of an experienced truffle hunter and his trusty dog!

When is Alba truffle season?

The Alba white truffle season tends to start in September and usually wraps up by the beginning of December. White truffles like the damp cooler months of Autumn, so this is when you need to plan your trip. Alternatively, you can find black truffles in Alba from April – September but their aroma and flavor is not as strong.

When is the Alba Truffle Festival?

The truffle festival in Alba kicks off in October and wraps in the first week of December. If you’re wondering when to visit the Alba Truffle Festival, remember it’s only held during the weekends. The first entry into the White Truffle World Market is at 9:30 and wraps up around 7:30pm.

What is the White Truffle Festival?

The Alba International White Truffle Fair started in 1929 as a way to showcase the region’s finest truffles to the world. Today, it is a festival that lasts for two months and sees hundreds of thousands of people from around the world come to visit all in the hope of tasting (and buying) the world’s finest truffles. The most popular event to attend at the Alba white truffle festival is the Alba White Truffle World Market where you can meet the trifulau (truffle hunters) and buy the truffles. Besides truffles, there are stalls set up with lots of other local products including wine, hazelnuts, cheeses, and salumi.

What is the average Alba white truffle price?

They don’t come cheap! The very best white truffles Alba are sold for between €400-500 per ‘etto’. If you’re wondering what that means – it’s per 100 grams which makes them incredibly expensive. In 2022, the weather conditions led to a very low yield of truffles which means the white Alba truffle price were pushed up extremely high to around €5800 a kilo, but we also saw prices at €7000 a kilo too!

5 Best Things to do at the Alba Truffle Fair

1. Meet the truffle hunters
2. Wine tasting
3. Try local cheeses and salumi
4. Watch a live cooking show at 11am or 6pm
5. Purchase truffle-infused products like truffle salt, Alba white truffle oil, or local Piemontese specialties like gianduja, hazelnuts or tajarin pasta.

As a special extra, keep an eye out for the medieval parades that happen in Alba during the Alba Italy white truffle festival. We were lucky enough to see a procession walk by in the main streets at around 5:30pm after finishing up at the fair and it was fantastic! Make sure you have a dinner booking if you’re planning to stay in Alba because it is seriously busy in town.

Where to go Alba truffle hunting?

Let me let you in on a secret – no truffle hunter worth his weight in truffles would ever reveal where he goes hunting! Why? Because white truffles grow back in a very similar area year after year and he wouldn’t want his precious delicacies being taken before he arrives. So unless you’re a local, you will need to join an Alba truffle hunting tour. Try this tour that starts in pretty Monforte d’Alba or try this tour with Barolo wine tasting with pickup from the Alba train station.

Looking for a tour from Turin for the day? Join this private day tour with truffle hunting in Alba instead.

Of course, if you want to visit the truffle fair Alba with me, go on a hunt, visit Langhe wineries, explore Turin and take in the very best the region has to offer, you should join our Untold Italy tour in May 2024 or November 2024.

Where to stay for Alba truffle festival?

If you want to be close to all the action at the annual Alba truffle show, then it makes sense to stay in the city center. You should know however, that Alba is incredibly busy at this time so if you don’t enjoy crowds, then you might want to consider staying in another town. A happy medium would be staying in the Langhe countryside somewhere like in La Morra, but please note – you will need to hire a car or a driver if you do so. Here are my favorite hotels in Alba and Langhe to consider for your trip to the Alba Italy Truffle Festival:

• Cascina Barac in Alba countryside – a great option that’s minutes from the Alba truffle fair but away from the crowds. The property is also a working vineyard so you can book in for a tour and tasting too!

• Plaza View Luxury Apartment in Alba town center – if you’re not planning on renting a car or hiring a driver, then you will need to stay in the historical center. This is a gorgeous luxury option with kitchen for self catering too.

• Uve Rooms in La Morra – right in the center of town, this is a great option if you want to walk to dinner and be close to all the action.

• Arborina Relais in La Morra – totally gorgeous! This is just outside of La Morra which means you can escape all crowds. There is a restaurant and spa with wellness center on site. The buffet breakfasts are fantastic too.

• Corte Gondina in La Morra – off the main drag but close enough to walk into town. This was originally a family residence and is now a gorgeous boutique hotel. There is a wellness center and spa on site as well as restaurant too. Very luxe!

Liked this guide to the truffle festival Alba? If you’re planning a trip to the region read of my Turin city guide, the best things to do in Turin, the best Turin food, and the best Turin restaurants in 2024.