Truffle Course
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Dates to suit your availability
October–December for white truffles |January–March for marzuolo (cousin of white truffle) | April–September for scorzone (black summer truffle) This course for food professionals and keen foodies covers theoretical and practical elements of hunting for and cooking with truffles. You’ll learn about the different types and the life cycle of truffles, see how Riccardo trains young dogs and join Riccardo and his dog Turbo on a truffle hunt. In a cooking lesson, you’ll find out how the different truffles are used in typical Italian cuisine and will cook a meal based on truffles. You’ll find out what to look for in a good truffle and, importantly, what truffle products to avoid. |
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Course at a glance – February Friday Arrival at Pisa airport or Pisa train station no later than 2.45 pm (one transfer to hotel, San Giuliano Terme, will be provided at 2.45 pm) Session 1: Introduction to course with Riccardo Welcome dinner at Riccardo’s family home Saturday Session 2: Life cycle of truffles and where they are found Session 3: Demonstration of training a truffle hound Lunch Session 4: Hunt for marzuolo truffles (Tuber borchii), delicious close cousins of the white truffle Dinner at 17th-century villa Sunday Session 5: Cooking with truffles: how to clean truffles, how different truffles are used in Italian cuisine, what to avoid Session 6: Hands-on cooking lesson preparing typical truffle dishes with Riccardo’s wife Amanda Lunch: the truffle dishes you cooked Carnival at Viareggio: world famous procession of floats Traditional fisherman’s dinner at private home Monday Depart (one transfer from hotel will be provided after 7:00 am) Course at a glance – October & November Friday Arrival at Pisa airport or Pisa train station no later than 2.45 pm (one transfer to agriturismo, San Miniato, will be provided at 2.45 pm) Session 1: Introduction to course with Riccardo Welcome dinner at Riccardo’s home Saturday Session 2: Life cycle of truffles and where they are found Session 3: Demonstration of training a truffle hound Lunch Session 4: Hunt for white truffles (Tuber magnatum) in woods near San Miniato Dinner at quirky rustic restaurant Sunday Session 5: Visit National Truffle Fair at San Miniato Truffle lunch at San Miniato Session 6: Cooking with truffles: how to clean truffles, how different truffles are used in Italian cuisine, imitation truffle flavouring Session 7: Hands-on cooking lesson preparing typical truffle dishes with Riccardo’s wife Amanda Dinner: Truffle dishes you cooked Monday Depart (one transfer from agriturismo will be provided after 7:00 am) Click on tabs below for more information To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
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February Friday Arrive Pisa airport or train station and transfer to hotel. One pick-up no later than 14.45 Transfer to Riccardo’s family home in the Pisan Mountains above the Serchio River Valley Session 1: Introduction to the course with Riccardo Aperitivi Welcome dinner Riccardo’s father Salvatore, a retired chef, cooks dinner for us. His home-cured prosciutto will be on the menu, and the meal will be rounded off by Riccardo’s vin santo, made by the traditional Tuscan small-barrel method and aged for at least 5 years. Saturday Breakfast and transfer to Riccardo’s home Session 2: The natural history of truffles
Session 3: Truffle hounds
Session 4: Truffle hunt with Riccardo and Turbo in pine plantation for marzuolo truffle (Tuber borchii) Dinner in the frescoed dining room of Villa Poschi Originally the country home of a 17th-century noble family of Pisa. You can almost feel their benign ghosts looking on approvingly as Stefano, the chef, and his wife and daughter serve us a traditional Pisan meal. Sunday Breakfast and transfer to Riccardo’s home Session 5: Principles of cooking with truffles
Session 6: Hands-on cooking lesson led by Riccardo’s wife Amanda
Lunch: Truffle heaven Transfer to Viareggio Carnival parade along the seafront You can buy a mask or wig and mingle with the high-spirited crowd enjoying the towering floats, many of them witty political satires. Farewell dinner Gabriella Lazzarini has invited us to her home for dinner. Seafood is her great love. She buys from family fishermen who sell their catches at the molo in Viareggio (no endangered species here). Monday Transfer to Pisa airport or Pisa train station October & November Friday Arrive Pisa airport or train station and transfer to agriturismo. One pick-up no later than 14.45 Transfer to Riccardo’s home near San Miniato, the hilly area where both the heaviest and most expensive white truffles have been found Session 1: Introduction to the course with Riccardo Aperitivi Welcome dinner Riccardo’s father Salvatore, a retired chef, cooks dinner for us. His home-cured prosciutto will be on the menu, and the meal will be rounded off by Riccardo’s vin santo, made by the traditional Tuscan small-barrel method and aged for at least 5 years. Saturday Breakfast and transfer to Riccardo’s home Session 2: The natural history of truffles
Session 3: Truffle hounds
Lunch at Riccardo’s home Session 4: Truffle hunt with Riccardo and Turbo in San Miniato hills for white truffles (Tuber magnatum) Dinner Osteria del Norcino A norcino is a pork butcher and tonight we are treated to the cured pork specialities of the Marianelli family, perfected over five generations. Despite being in a 15th-century palace, the atmosphere is informal and if we’re lucky, some musicians of the town might serenade us with old Tuscan songs. Sunday Breakfast and transfer to San Miniato Session 5: Visit to National White Truffle Fair (2nd, 3rd & 4th weekends in November; in October we visit smaller truffle fairs in villages near San Miniato) During the annual truffle fair the whole town of San Miniato becomes a showcase for fine foods, displayed in exuberant street stalls. The protagonist is the precious white truffle, but San Miniato boasts other gastronomic delights, including its own variety of olive oil. As you wander through the ancient streets and porticos, you can watch truffle buyers (perhaps from Alba?) interminably brushing, inspecting and sniffing the specimens without a single telltale flicker of emotion. Lunch at a popular restaurant in the town Transfer to Riccardo’s home Session 6: Principles of cooking with truffles
Session 7: Hands-on cooking lesson led by Riccardo’s wife Amanda
Monday Transfer to Pisa airport or Pisa train station To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
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Course Leader
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Riccardo Nicosia
Riccardo is an amateur truffle hunter who devotes much of his spare time to truffles. When he’s not out searching for them in the hills of San Miniato, he’s studying Google Earth and large-scale topography maps looking for likely new sites where they might be found. He has long been interested in botany, mycology and dog training. By now he has built up an enormous body of knowledge which he enjoys sharing with truffle lovers and aspiring truffle hunters through his dog training and truffle hunting courses. Given that his father is a retired chef, Riccardo’s interest in truffles doesn’t stop with the hunt. He and his wife Amanda are experts on the preparation of classic truffle dishes, the pairing of wines with truffles and good food in general. |
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Course OrganiserErica Jarman
Following Heather’s careers as archaeologist, orchestra and artist manager and chef, she Italianised her name to Erica and came to Lucca to pursue her passion for traditional artisan food. Her tours, inspired by her infectious curiosity, open captivating new worlds to her guests. |
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Locanda Sant'Agata (February) An elegantly restored farmhouse on the Pisa plain with views of the Pisan Mountains and the spa town of San Giuliano Terme. You receive a warm welcome from the Micheletti family. Bar and restaurant on site. www.locandasantagata.it |
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Ca' Solare Perched on a hilltop, Ca’ Solare overlooks the countryside rich in the white truffles that are the subject of our course. The building is a classic Tuscan farmhouse and has been completely restored for your comfort. |
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Price Per person: 1180 Euros (minimum 4 people) Non-participant in same room: 350 Euros Includes 3 nights welcoming, relaxing accommodation, en suite bathrooms Local ground transportation for 4 days Daily continental breakfast, 2 lunches, 3 dinners Course lectures and sessions with truffle hunter, course notes Cooking lesson with experienced truffle cook Entrance to Carnival parade (February course) Does not include Airfares Travel and cancellation insurance Wine and drinks other than those served with meals, additional meals Personal expenses such as telephone, mini-bar, etc. Meeting points Where: Pisa airport, Pisa Centrale train station When: not later than 14.30 Recommended international travel Nearest airport: Pisa Airlines from UK: British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair Airlines from other countries: You may have to fly to another European city and take a connecting flight or train to Pisa Centrale. There are good low-cost flights from many European cities. There are better train connections from Roma Termini (about 3.5 hrs) than from Milan. If you need to travel at another time, a taxi can be arranged at your own expense. Departure points Where: Pisa airport, Pisa Centrale train station When: no earlier than 10.00 If you need to travel at another time, a taxi can be arranged at your own expense. Dress Informal. Jeans are acceptable everywhere. Good walking shoes and rain gear required. Weather in February 3–12˚C/37–54˚F, precipitation 67 mm/2.7 in Weather in November 6–15˚C/43–59˚F, precipitation 122 mm/4.8 in Itinerary is subject to change if necessary due to weather or agricultural conditions or other events outside our control. To request a booking form email info@sapori-e-saperi.com |
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