AGRICULTURE: CRAZY FOR TRUFFLES, OVER 70,000 ITALIANS ARE DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTION

One of the absolute excellences of Made in Italy are certainly the Italian truffles, considered among the best in the world. These are of such high quality that even America's most powerful anchor woman Oprah Winfrey has become a great lover of them so much that she cooks them in various ways (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmSj7FMD9cE/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=) and gives them to her friends. This is the case of the Umbrian multinational Sabatino Tartufi , one of the main companies active in the world of Specialty Food and leader in the marketing and processing of truffles, present in over 60 countries around the world. «We are happy that Oprah appreciates our products and our way of doing business so much - commented Giuseppina Balestra, CEO of Sabatino Tartufi in Italy - We met by chance and, as sometimes happens in life, a sympathy and affection arose which then grew over time. Having her as our guest in the Sabatino Tartufi headquarters in Umbria a few years ago was a very special gift for us because Oprah is a special person. She is not the only American star who loves Italian truffles: like her, in fact, there are Billy Joel, Martha Stewart and George Clooney».

But how many Italians are dedicated to the collection of truffles? It is estimated that in Italy there are over 70 thousand truffle gatherers authorized by regions, provinces, mountain communities and municipalities (according to the source https://tartufiitaliani.net/2021/02/16/tartufai-quanti-sono-in-italia/#:~:text=In Italy, today, there are, foothills of the central-eastern Alps.), the so-called 'truffle hunters' or 'cavatori'. "Most of them - continues Giuseppina Balestra - continue to carry out this activity out of pure passion, with economic returns of an ancillary nature, but more and more people try to make it a real and proper profession. In fact, truffles are a turnover that in Italy stands at around half a billion euros and now concerns almost all the regions. The most interested by far are Piedmont, Umbria, Marche and Tuscany. Recently even Sardinia has been involved", explained Giuseppina Balestra CEO of Sabatino Tar tuffs in Italy.

Tomorrow 25 July from 8 am the "Summer truffle hunt in Umbria" will start in the Montecastrilli Wood (province of Terni) , led by the expert truffle hunter Renzo Caiello , one of the most expert collectors in the area and already at the top of the Orvieto truffle association, with his inseparable dog Balù. Chef Paolo Amadori , former executive of Bice in New York and Montecarlo and professor of Alma (the international school of Italian cuisine) now owner of several "glamorous" restaurants in Saint Tropez and Ramatuelle, will then cook delicious dishes based on truffles.