The following text is taken from a blog written for a travel company that specialises in trips to Italy. In it, the writer explains some of the best places to go 'truffle-hunting'. The best places to go truffle-hunting in Italy The rolling hills of Italy's lush landscape are famous for their bountiful produce. Fields of gnarled, silvery-leaved trees burst with olives. Vines carpet hillsides to the horizon. And luscious sweet lemons drip juicily from lemon groves. But the Mediterranean sun does not ripen Italy's most prized crop. It grows slowly, in the dark, under the ground and has to be hunted by dogs. Let's go truffle-hunting in Italy! What are truffles? Truffles are the fruits of a subterranean fungus that typically grows around the roots of certain trees including oak, beech, birch, hazel, pine and poplar. They look a bit like a knobbly, rough-skinned potato and normally grow a few inches underground. But as they grow under, not on, trees, truffles are difficult to find and therefore very expensive. It's fortunate then that truffles have a uniquely strong smell that pigs and dogs can be trained to seek out. If you've ever visited Tuscany chances are you've tasted truffle dishes or come home with truffle cream or oil as a culinary souvenir. But if you want to know more about where these black diamonds come from you need to take a trip out into the heart of truffle country. San Miniato, halfway between Florence and Pisa, is a lovely little hilltop village that celebrates the white truffle harvest with three weekends of truffle markets every November. The aroma of truffles wafts through the streets as visitors taste, test and buy all manner of truffle goodies. So if you love this wonderful delicacy, San Miniato is the perfect place to explore truffles in Tuscany. With a full day to explore, you arrive at San Miniato to meet the Savini family's trifulau truffle hunters, who will take you through some of the local truffle types before taking you out on your very own truffle hunt with the dogs! Lunch will obviously include this delicious delicacy and maybe even some of the truffles you've found yourselves. What a wonderful way to experience the bounty of Tuscany. San Giovanni d'Asso, set in the heart of the southern Sienese landscape, is another focus for white truffle-hunters and truffle-lovers alike. The little hilltop town celebrates the fabulous fungus with its truffle festival in the second and third weeks of November each year, right at the height of the season and is tremendous fun for foodies. Stalls laden with piles of truffles and truffle-infused delights tempt visitors but you need to be quick as fresh truffles begin to lose their prized perfume within days of being harvested so get ready to tuck in! Ultimately Italian truffles are some of the most prized and treasured in the world. Their scarcity, cultivation difficulties and short, localized seasons make them a culinary luxury. And their unique earthy flavor enriches dishes from pasta to cheeses to salami. It's a delicacy for which gourmets and gastronomes will pay handsomely. So scouring the misty, autumnal countryside of Tuscany to go truffle hunting in Italy is an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime. Our travel experts are on standby to help you find these buried treasures and in the meantime make sure you leave us a comment with your favorite truffle recipes to whet our appetites! Buon apetito!