Alba International White Truffle Fair

The International Alba White Truffle Fair is the autumn fair of Alba, in Piedmont, built around the white truffle, Tuber magnatum Pico. Its centrepiece is the Alba White Truffle World Market, where truffle hunters and licensed traders sell fresh truffles under the eye of a quality commission. Around it, the town runs cooking shows, tastings, dinners, markets and folklore events.

In 2026 the truffle market is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 October to 6 December, from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm (last entry 7 pm), in the Cortile della Maddalena, with the entrance on Piazza Falcone. The dates and prices come from the Ente Fiera di Alba, the fair’s organiser.

What to taste

• The white truffle itself. It cannot be cultivated, grows in symbiosis with the roots of certain trees and can only be found with a dog. The organisers’ advice is to eat it raw and never cook it: it is shaved over the dish with a truffle slicer. In Piedmont the harvest runs from 1 October to 31 January, so the fair falls in the heart of the season.
• Truffle dishes at the market’s food area, which serves traditional plates with truffle.
• Piedmont wines. Producers from the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero pour at their stands, and the AIS Piemonte Grand Wine Shop has its own tasting area. The Wine Tasting Coupon (10 euros online plus fees, 11 on site) includes two glasses at the Grande Enoteca, unlimited tastings at the producers’ stands, and a glass with holder to keep.
• Local produce at the Slow Food Earth Market on Piazza Pertinace, every Saturday morning (9 am to 1 pm) and Sunday (9 am to 8 pm) during the fair.

Programme

• Cooking shows every weekend at 11 am and 6 pm, with Italian and international chefs cooking a dish around the truffle.
• Taste workshops: truffle sensory analysis in the truffle museum, Vinum Alba blind wine tastings and a fresh pasta atelier. Several weekend sessions of October 2026 were already sold out on 29 September.
• Folklore: the donkey palio and historical parade on Sunday 4 October 2026 at 3 pm, the Boroughs Bacchanal on 17 and 18 October, and the flag festival on Sunday 25 October at 3 pm.
• Weekend markets on Piazza Risorgimento, among them Langhe and Roero in Piazza on 31 October and 1 November.

Practical tips for the Alba White Truffle Fair

• Tickets. Entry to the truffle market costs 6 euros. The online ticket (plus booking fees) also includes the MUDET truffle museum. The ticket bought on site does not. Children up to 15 enter free, as do visitors with disabilities and one companion. Groups of more than 30 pay 4.50 euros online or 5 euros on site.
• Buying a truffle. Judges selected by the National Truffle Study Centre help buyers choose, and stay available before and after the purchase. A fresh truffle keeps for about a week: store it in the fridge, wrapped in blotting paper, in a closed glass jar, and brush it clean under running water just before use.
• When to come. The market opens only on Saturdays and Sundays. The truffle museum is open every day during the fair: 10:30 am to 7 pm at weekends, 10:30 am to 6 pm on weekdays.
• Book workshops and dinners early. Cooking shows, taste workshops and the fair’s dinners are sold separately online, and some October sessions were sold out by late September.
• Dogs are allowed in the market on a leash no longer than 1.5 metres, and owners must carry a muzzle.
• Access. Trains run between Turin and Alba on the SFM4 line, with extra festive services. The nearest airports are Turin Caselle and Milan Malpensa. Parking areas are marked on the town map published by the fair.
• Where to stay. Alba and the villages of the Langhe fill up on autumn weekends. The local tourist consortium, Langhe Experience, offers booking help for hotels and farmhouses.