It's been well over a year since I wrote my last post about my Tuscany trip in Italy from back in 2011. Yes, digging deep into my archives again, but I really need to document my travels on the chain, so please bear with me. This time we're going to San Miniato. For the food connoisseurs out there, you'll recognise the objects in my image below, and will know that you're in for a treat.
San Miniato
San Miniato wasn't on my itinerary, in fact I've never heard of it until the day before my visit. Towards the end of my Tuscany trip, I had run of out places to go. My friend whom we were staying with recommended a couple of places along the coast but they didn't seem very appealing. I searched online and found a White Truffles festival at San Miniato which wasn't too far away from Sienna, where I was staying. Perfect! I love truffle and can't afford it most of the time.
White Truffle Festival
I arrived the next morning, just in time to see the ribbon cutting opening ceremony. Not that I had planned it in any way, but sometimes you just happen to be at the right place at the right time.
After the proms and frills were done, the festival was officially open and visitors wandered around the festival. The festival was a heaven for me. Although it was truffles festival, there was a lot of other products. I love charcuterie but they're rather expensive in UK because they're mainly imported from Europe. Whenever I go to Spain or Italy I always binge on the wide variety of ham, olives, cheese etc. Just walking around here was much much better than walking into a sweet shop when I was a kid. The sight, the aroma and the tasters, you don't get that in a sweet shop!!!!
And for the star of the festival - white truffles. White truffles are a lot more expensive than black truffles as they are only grown wild, you can't farm them like black truffles. They are only found in a few places in Italy, San Miniato being one of them, and they need the right humidity to grow. All this adds to its rarity and hence price.
White truffles don't last very long and lose their aroma quite soon once they are harvested. They were all covered on the stall tables to preserve the aroma but the stall owners were very generous in letting visitors get a whiff of them. It smelt so good!! Sadly, at something like Euro 2000 per kg (back in 2011) it was way out of my price range.
However, I couldn't leave San Miniato without tasting some white truffle. I would never forgive myself for that. I saw lots of people go into some sort of community hall. There was a big sign outside that said Trattoria, and whilst I didn't know any Italian, I knew that had something to do with food.
Plus there was a menu outside. I recognised some of the words, Tartufo was highlighted, that could only mean truffle!!! And at less than Euro 10 per dish, it was well within my budget.
It was very busy when I arrived and we had to wait a little while for a table, but it was worth the wait. Watching the buzz, and the food being carried out only added to my anticipation. And once I finally got to delve into my food... yum! Sadly no food photos are available, as no one told me I'd be posting it on the blockchain a decade later.
There is more to San Miniato than just truffles
Although San Miniato is well known for truffles, the village itself is rich in scenery and history. Nestled in the hilltop above the Arno Valley, it is surrounded by Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Lucca, all of which were part of my Tuscany trip.
I took the opportunity to wander around the medieval town, along the Piazza della Repubblica, and over to the Tower of Frederick II which can be seen miles away.
The original tower was built by the German emperor Frederick II in the 13th century when he ruled the region. During the second world war, the tower was destroyed, ironically by the Germans, and was rebuilt in the late 1950s. It stands at 192m high on the top of the hill and offers some beautiful Tuscany views looking out miles away.
Ciao!!
