With the Capodanno del Tartufo on the night of 30 September to 1 October, Alba officially opened the new white truffle season, marking the start of the 96. Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba which runs from 10 October to 6 December. Rather than a conventional press conference, the Ente Fiera opted for a carefully composed evening featuring an Open Day, a new MUDET room, a theatre programme, a procession and a midnight toast.
MUDET opens the "Stanza del Bosco"
As one of the central programme highlights, the MUDET, Museo del Tartufo di Alba presented its new Stanza del Bosco an immersively designed exhibition space by architect Luca Zanellati. Preserved vegetation and a specially developed scent composition are intended to make the truffle's forest environment a tangible sensory experience. The new room is the last in a series of renovations that began at the start of the year with support from the Fondazione CRC. The project was developed in collaboration with the Centro Nazionale Studi Tartufo and the association Asproflor.
In addition, the Mercato Mondiale del Tartufo opened its doors as a preview in the Cortile della Maddalena from 7 pm, and the Sala Beppe Fenoglio offered a first look at the Fieraprogramme for the coming nine weeks.
Teatro Sociale: poetry, Radio Deejay and many protagonists
In the evening, the programme moved to the Teatro Sociale "G. Busca". Opening the proceedings, poet Tiziana Cera Rosco spoke as part of the festival Profondo Umano with Francesco Occhetto on the relationship between humanity, nature and community.
The second part was hosted by La Pina of Radio Deejay. Representatives from institutions, agricultural associations, trifolao groups, tourism, the wine industry, social initiatives and gastronomy all took the floor. Ente Fiera president Axel Iberti and director Stefano Mosca brought the theatre evening to a close.
A nocturnal procession through the old town
After the theatre, the event moved into the city centre. On the Piazza Michele Ferrero, guests from the theatre evening were joined by the Associazioni dei Cercatori di Tartufo del Piemontewho had travelled from across the region with their dogs. From there, a procession made its way along the Via Vittorio Emanuele to the Piazza Risorgimento in front of the Palazzo Comunale.
At midnight, the start of the season was toasted with Alta Langa DOCG the region's Metodo Classico sparkling wine. The consortium behind it is celebrating ten years of partnership with the Fiera this year. The toast was accompanied by a product box from Confartigianato Cuneo, featuring regional artisan products and Parmigiano Reggiano, with traditional music from the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero hills, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The season opens for the other Piedmont fairs too
The Capodanno marks not only the start in Alba but the symbolic opening of the entire Piedmontese truffle season. More than twenty further fairs follow in the coming weeks, including those in Montiglio Monferrato, Moncalvo, Murisengo, Canelli, Mondovì and Acqui Terme. The Fiera in Alba itself opens on 10 October.
