Tuscan Treasures

Truffles have been prized in Italy as an Epicurean delight as far back as the Roman gourmet Apicius' legendary banquet in 20 A.D., but the country's first truffle museum demonstrates one small village's love affair with the aromatic fungus. In San Giovanni d'Asso, located on a Tuscan hilltop and surrounded by the rolling clay slopes of the Crete Senesi, truffles are truly a village affair: there are 50 truffle hunters out of a population of 350, according to Mayor Michele Boscagli. From September to December they hunt for the delicacy, feast on a portion of their bag, and sell the rest to local merchants and restaurants. San Giovanni d'Asso holds an annual Truffle Festival in November. "It's not run by merchants," says Boscagli. "Our festival is completely managed by the truffle hunters."

The luminous museum is in a medieval castle, with its cross-vaulted ceilings and 16th century fresco remnants, and tells the fascinating tale of the native, intensely pungent magnatum pico, or white truffle, which, together with other prestigious truffles such

as the black Périgord, were historically reviled as a tool of witchcraft and sought after by the Romans as an aphrodisiac. Flat screens show mini-documentaries about dog-training methods that prime canines to sniff out the prestigious white truffle; some trainers introduce the fungus to puppies by rubbing it on the mother's teat. Various interactive exhibits encourage visitors to submerge themselves in the truffle habitat using all five senses. You can listen to forest sounds such as rain and crickets; feel the textures of truffles and pinecones; sniff woodland scents from sweetgrass to the piquant truffle itself; and taste a local truffle in season (for an extra fee).

The culinary joys of the fungus are also explored: recipes, and utensils used for serving, shaving and preserving the earthy tidbit, are displayed. At $2,500-4,000 per kilo this season, it's clear why white truffles are referred to as "white diamonds." And like diamonds, they're not much to look at before they're cut, but once prepared by expert hands, can be seductively intoxicating. tel: (39-0577) 803101; www.museodeltartufo.it

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