Hailed as diamonds of the kitchen, Truffles add a touch of class to the culinary world and are a treat for any foodie. With a strong distinctive flavour, these warty, rare fungi are mainly found in Italy and France, but also grow in parts of Spain, Croatia, Slovenia and even China, where they are buried between the leaf litter and the soil near the roots of trees. France is mainly famous for its black truffles which grow exclusively with oak, while Italy is home to the most prized of all – the white truffle or Tuber Magnatum. These small but powerfully flavoured truffles can instantly fill a room with their aroma and are so valuable - some are even worth their weight in gold. In December 2007 a single white truffle weighing 1.5 kilograms was found near Pisa and auctioned for a record-breaking £165,000 - although most white truffles are roughly the size of a walnut and cost around £600-£1300 per pound.

The Italian white truffle most famously originates from the countryside surrounding the city of Alba, located in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. Each September the first truffles are harvested and sold at the markets which are busiest in October and November. It is here that Italy’s most famous truffle festival takes place: The Fiera del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba. But for those looking to snap up some of this ‘white gold’ at more favourable prices, the lesser known festival of San Giovanni d’Asso in the Crete Senesi area of Tuscany sells the equally flavoursome Crete Senesi White Truffles at lower prices and in a more intimate atmosphere. During the second and third weekends of November, the basement of the town’s 13th century castle becomes a temporary truffle market, where you can buy straight from the truffle hunters. All around town truffle dishes are prepared in collaboration with famous chefs, while the main street stalls offer up other local specialities such as wine, goat cheese and cured hams to hungry visitors.

November is also a great time to go truffle hunting and while truffle hunters are notoriously secretive about the truffle hot spots, it is possible to accompany them to hunt your very own truffle. Originally truffles were hunted with the help of female pigs, who are very good at finding truffles, but also prone to eating them! These days truffle hunters or ‘trifolau’ take specially trained dogs to sniff out the precious fungi. There are plenty of excursions and packages available, many of which include a cooking lesson and tasting session.

If you’re inspired to visit Tuscany in truffle season, To Tuscany have a range of self-catering villas in Tuscany available, perfectly located to explore the truffle-rich region and cook up your own truffle dish after a hard day’s hunting. You’ll want to do this as quickly as possible as they don’t keep very long, but luckily some of the best ways to eat white truffles are also the simplest. To keep their strong flavour, they are not cooked but simply shaved raw over risotto, eggs or plain pasta. Buon appetito! (Image of white truffle by Bruce Lee)