Over 10 years ago, we, Stefan Kragten and Jacqueline Sajet (Sajetspecials BV) fell madly in love with lovely Italy. And in particular the impressively beautiful region of Le Marche.
After finding a suitable house in the rolling hills of Cagli, we started organizing truffle tours with trained dogs from here. Truffles are also called the pearls of the (Italian) land and are 100% a natural product. We do not organize our spectacular tours lightly, but together with Giorgio Remedia, the best truffle hunter (Tartufai) of the region and a walking truffle encyclopedy!
Stefan obtained his truffle certificate in May 2021, which is quite special, as this is actually only possible for Italians. Like Giorgio, Stefan has an unbridled passion for searching for all kinds of truffles. A nice bonus is that Stefan speaks Dutch, English, German and Italian.
The Truffle tour:
Truffle hunting is an experience and a thrill in itself. Those who have gone before you, can definitely confirm this! The hunt starts early in the morning, when the cool dew is still beading off the windows. We leave for the local bar for a strong cup of coffee and a sandwich before driving to Giorgio's house.
Arriving at his place, the dogs already get excited, with one or two always joining him on a truffle hunt. The dogs have developed an extremely good sense of smell for truffles and they also see hunting as a very fun outing.
First a little romp and then 'Attenzione': the nose on the ground and looking for where they can find a track. In many cases, the dog is many times faster than us and you have to do your best to keep up with them.
Because once the dogs have found a trail, they are unstoppable... By the way, this bonus work-out is included in the truffle tour. The great thing is that you never know never whether a 2 or 500-gram truffle will be conjured out of the ground. This element of tension is what helps make truffle hunting so intriguing.
On average, a truffle tour lasts one and a half to two hours, depending on the heat. Afterwards, all found truffles are weighed and we have a drink at Giorgio's outside table. If desired, we can hit up the local bar for a well-deserved fresh breakfast.
Play Video
