Trøffeljagt i Toscana

We did the morning truffle hunt at Le Pietre Vive with Heather and Chiara and two truffle dogs, Ugo and Whiskey, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our time in Tuscany. The tour we booked was a private family tour for my wife, 10 year old daughter, and myself. We visited in early August 2026, during an extreme heat wave, so we were a little concerned about spending two hours outdoors. The 8:30 a.m. start was perfect, however. Nearly the entire walk was shaded within Le Pietre Vive's private truffle reserve. The walking itself was easy, mostly along a gravel road and dirt trails through the woods. Heather was extremely knowledgeable about truffles and did a great job explaining how they grow in association with tree roots, where different types of truffles are found, and how the dogs are trained to locate them. During our hunt, Ugo the experienced truffle hunting dog, and Whiskey, who is still in training, found an impressive 41 small- to medium-sized black truffles, mostly around the roots of upland oak trees. We also learned that the more highly prized white truffles are found during the cooler months, generally in lower areas near the valley stream. What really made the experience memorable for us was how warmly Heather and Chiara included our 10-year-old daughter. They let her reward the dogs with treats after successful finds, and Chiara spent a lot of time talking and engaging with her and making her feel like she was actually participating rather than simply tagging along on an adult tour. My daughter's description afterward summed it up nicely: "It was like a race to see if we could get the truffle from the dog's mouth before they ate it!" Heather and Chiara were warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, and fun, and the dogs were wonderful to watch work. Our only minor disappointment was that we didn't get to taste one of the truffles we found. Even shaving a small amount of one truffle for everyone to sample would have been a terrific way to finish the experience. Le Pietre Vive does offer cooking experiences that can be combined with the hunt, that feature cooking with the truffles but we had other plans that morning.

We had a wonderful time in the woods with Whiskey and Oogle! They are adorable dogs. The guides were so knowledgeable about everything and explained everything the dogs were doing. We found lots of truffles!

Such a great experience! The guides were so knowledgeable and kind. The moment we got to the farm everyone was cordial and helpful. Hugo and Whiskey were our truffle hounds and they found 20+ truffles!!! It was so much fun to see them work and take a walk in the woods!

The truffle hunting experience was exceptional! Our guides were very knowledgeable and the dogs found tons of truffles. There was a beautiful restaurant at the end of the tour that we ate at with beautiful views and excellent food. Would highly recommend!

What an awesome experience!! Had so much fun with the staff and the dogs learning all about truffle hunting. It was the perfect small group size to get to engage with the dogs and hear all about truffles. The property is so beautiful and it was lovely to have a tasting after. The staff was truly so wonderful and made the experience special. Loved the dogs!!!

We had a wonderful time getting to know the team at Le Pietre Vive – most especially the truffle hungers themselves, Ugo and his apprentice Whiskey. If you are an appreciator of truffle in your food, the hunting experience coupled with dinner at the restaurant are a perfect match. It kicked off our visit to Tuscany most beautifully. (An already incredibly beautiful place to be.)

Kids loved it! Would highly recommend it to anyone traveling through the area. One of our favorite days of our trip.

A unique and insightful experience. If you ever wanted a wonderful experience in a stunning Tuscan country farm setting, this is it. Wonderful hosts will guide you on an easy walk on the farm and woods while the dogs (Ugo and Whiskey) do the hunting and guide you to these incredible truffles. It was the perfect start to then enjoying a cooking class at the farmhouse. I highly recommend this experience and learning more about truffles in a beautiful Tuscan farm.

Going on a truffle hunt was a highly anticipated activity by many in our family. We embarked on our experience in Christmas Eve morning in 2025. The guide and interpreter were knowledgeable, professional and friendly. We learned about the ideal conditions for many types of truffle growth, how they train the dogs, when they begin the training of the dogs, and more. Ugo, the professional dog and Whiskey the puppy-in-training were just like friendly pets until they got a whiff of truffle and then they became all business. We were searching for Winter Black Truffles and we were very successful! The more rare White Truffle hunt was no successful on this day. They provided for boots for those who didn’t have proper footwear. It was a lovely morning followed by a cooking (and eating!) class also at Le Pietre Vive.

Our family rented a villa in Siena for the Christmas 2025 holiday. One activity that many looked forward to was a Truffle Hunt. The experience at Le Pietre Vive did not disappoint. On the morning of Christmas Eve, we arrived for our Truffle Hunt. They were able to provide boots. Their forested truffle areas are beautiful. Their dogs—Ugo and the puppy Whiskey were delightful pets. As soon as they picked up the scent, they were all business! Ugo is a trained professional and was very successful! We learned a lot about the different types of truffles, ideal conditions and the training of the dogs, beginning at two months old. We had quite a haul of Black Winter Truffles. We were less successful with the rarer White Truffles. The guides were knowledgeable, professional, friendly and fun. We had a great time and headed into an on-site cooking class using our new-found treasures!