Murisengo Black Truffle Fair: flavours, wine and hills

In early June, Monferrato moves to a different rhythm. The hills are already green, the days are getting longer and the summer heat has yet to take over. At this time of year, Murisengo celebrates one of its most fascinating local products: the summer black truffle, the star of the Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo Nero “Trifola nOiR”.

The fair is a good reason to reach this corner of the Alexandrian Monferrato, but above all it is an opportunity to experience it calmly. The ancient village, the castle park, the tastings, the Baratuciat wine, the meetings dedicated to truffles and the outdoor activities create a weekend that combines gastronomy and landscape. You can arrive to taste the truffle and end the day walking among the hills, stopping in front of a country church or looking at Murisengo from the other side of the valley.

The Murisengo National Black Truffle Fair takes place annually in the first two weekends of June. In recent editions the program was distributed between Saturday, with the "Truffle Night", and Sunday, dedicated to the actual fair. The formula allows you to choose between an evening atmosphere, more convivial and musical, and a day of market, tastings and experiences linked to the territory.

The first two weekends of June are the time to experience the fair at Murisengo.

Murisengo is located in a sector of Monferrato where the landscape changes continuously: fields, woods, small vineyards, hazelnut groves and ridges alternate without major interruptions. The town develops on the relief and maintains a very visible relationship with the countryside that surrounds it. It is precisely this relationship between forest, soil and human work that makes the truffle something more than a gastronomic product: here it directly tells the story of the territory.

The culture of hunting has long been rooted in the area. The truffle grows in symbiosis with the roots of some tree species and requires precise environmental conditions, as well as knowledge of the trifolau and its dog. Visiting a fair dedicated to truffles in a place like Murisengo therefore means getting closer to a system made up of biodiversity, agriculture, family traditions and knowledge of the forest.

The protagonist: the black summer truffle or Tuber aestivum

Trifola nOiR focuses on the Tuber aestivum, commonly called summer black truffle or scorzone. Its maturation coincides with the beginning of summer and continues into the warmer months. It has a dark and wrinkled rind, while inside it has a lighter pulp crossed by white veins. The scent is less intense than the white truffle, but for this reason it is very versatile in the kitchen.

The black summer truffle goes well with eggs, raw meat, cheeses, fresh pasta and simple preparations in which it can maintain its aromatic balance. During the fair it is possible to meet prospectors and producers, observe the specimens on display and better understand the differences between size, maturation and organoleptic characteristics. It is one of the most immediate ways to move from the abstract idea of ​​the "Monferrato truffle" to concrete knowledge of the product.

One of the most pleasant features of the event is the context. The program develops between the ancient village and the castle park of Murisengo, transforming the visit into a walk through the town. You don't simply enter a trade fair pavilion: you move among green spaces, panoramic views, historic buildings and places that are part of the life of the village.

The castle's centuries-old park offers shade and space on June days and makes the fair particularly suitable for those who want to spend several hours on site. Not far away, the former church of San Michele and other spaces in the center are used for meetings, exhibitions, tastings and collateral activities. The event thus becomes a journey inside Murisengo, not just a market dedicated to truffles.

Truffle & Baratuciat: a meeting that tells the story of the territory

Alongside the black truffle, the fair highlights the Baratuciat, a Piedmontese vine which in recent years has been recovered and brought back to the attention of producers and enthusiasts. The “Tartufo & Baratuciat” project brings together two elements strongly linked to the territory and allows you to discover combinations that are difficult to find in more generic food and wine events.

Tasting tables, guided tastings and master classes can accompany the fair program, offering an interesting opportunity also to those who visit Monferrato for wine. The experience works particularly well because it does not separate the product from the place: you taste a wine while outside you can see the same hills where it was born, and you try the truffle a few steps from the woods and truffle fields.

What to do during the Black Truffle Fair

The heart of Sunday is the market fair. In addition to the summer black truffle exhibitors, there are normally agri-food producers, wineries, artisans and local businesses present. It is the right time to buy a truffle, speak directly with those looking for it and ask for advice on conservation and use, but also to fill the visit with small tastings: cured meats, cheeses, hazelnuts, desserts, wines and other Piedmontese specialties.

Among the most characteristic events is the competition dedicated to the best specimens and compositions of black truffles. For those who don't know this world well, it's a useful moment to closely observe the shape, size and quality of the products presented. The competition also brings back the more authentically agricultural side of the fair, linked to the season, the harvest and the work of the prospectors.

Recent editions have offered wine tastings, meetings dedicated to the sensorial analysis of truffles, seminars and in-depth moments. These are activities that help to recognize the aromas and characteristics of the product and to understand why the truffle changes so much depending on the species, maturation and soil. If a tasting requires reservations, it is best to reserve your place before arriving.

Truffle hunting is one of the most fascinating aspects of Monferrato culture. When foreseen in the program, the demonstration or simulated search allows you to see the relationship between the trifolau and the dog, observing a work made of attention, signals and knowledge of the terrain. For children and families it is often one of the most memorable activities of the entire day.

Saturday evening offers a different version of the fair. The “Truffle Night” brings street food, wines, craft beers, gastronomic offerings and live music to the castle park. It is a particularly pleasant formula for those arriving in the afternoon: you can take a walk before the stands open, dine outdoors and stay in the village when the light falls on the hills.

The black truffle enters the dishes without turning the evening into a formal tasting. Meat tartare, pasta, cheeses and other local preparations become an easy way to taste it. The advice is not to arrive with a too rigid program: part of the charm lies in moving between the park, the village and the different points of the event following scents, music and curiosities.

Gastronomy naturally occupies an important place. In recent editions the program has included street food on Saturday evenings and a truffle lunch on Sunday, with Piedmontese dishes and preparations in which summer black can be added or used as the main ingredient. The proposals change, so the menu must always be checked in the program of the current edition.

To enjoy the experience well, consider lunch or dinner as part of the visit and not as a simple break. Sitting in a panoramic place, ordering a local dish and pairing it with a local wine allows you to slow down and better perceive the character of the event. It is precisely this rhythm, closer to that of a town than to that of a large urban fair, that makes Murisengo interesting.

The Black Truffle Fair lends itself well to being combined with an outdoor activity. The landscape around Murisengo is made up of secondary roads, paths, ridges and ups and downs that allow you to alternate the gastronomic part with a few hours in the open air. The event program may include walking, Nordic walking, mountain bike and e-bike tours.

Even when you don't take part in an organized excursion, you can use the fair as a starting point to explore the area. Arriving in the morning, walking before the busiest opening of the stands and returning to Murisengo for lunch is an ideal combination. On MonferratoTrails you can search for nearby routes and plan your weekend so as not to limit your visit to just the hours of the event.

At the foot of the Romanesque Tower of San Pietro is the Tabui Educational Tartufaia, a place that helps to understand the relationship between truffles and the natural environment. It is a particularly coherent stage with the visit to the fair because it allows you to see the vegetal context in which the truffle can develop and to connect what you taste in the stands to the landscape that makes it possible.

The truffle ground is also a good point to shift attention from the product to biodiversity. Oaks, hornbeams, hazelnuts and other trees are not simply the backdrop to the truffle tradition: they are part of its natural cycle. Understanding this connection makes the visit more interesting and helps to read the woods encountered along the Monferrato paths with different eyes.

Murisengo deserves to be explored without haste. The streets of the center go up and down following the shape of the hill and suddenly open up the view of the countryside. During the fair some streets may be closed to traffic, transforming the village into an even more pleasant space to walk through.

The castle dominates the town and the park becomes one of the central locations of the event. The methods of access to the internal spaces may vary, but even the mere presence of the complex gives the fair a particular setting. It's one of those cases where the location contributes as much to the experience as the program.

The former church of San Michele is used for exhibitions, tastings and cultural events, while the Romanesque Tower of San Pietro recalls the most ancient history of the area. Including these stages in the walk allows you to give the day a broader dimension, alternating gastronomy, architecture and landscape.

If you are arriving from outside the area, the advice is not to consider Murisengo as a destination to reach and leave in the same afternoon. The fair works much better as the center of a small itinerary. You can dedicate Saturday to travel, a walk and the Truffle Night, sleep in the Monferrato and use Sunday for the fair, a tasting and a few stops in the nearby hills.

In this way even travel becomes part of the experience: panoramic roads, small villages, parish churches, vineyards and woods accompany the route. The Monferrato is not a territory to be “ticked off” in one day; It works best when you leave room for meetings, stops and unplanned detours.

The event is held in Murisengo Monferrato, in the province of Alessandria, with activities distributed in the ancient village and in the castle park. Some events may take place in the former church of San Michele, at the Tartufaia Didattica Tabui or in other points of the town indicated in the program.

To visit the fair without rushing, consider at least half a day. If you want to participate in a tasting, have lunch on site, watch a demonstration or add a walk, it is preferable to dedicate the whole day. The most complete solution remains a weekend with arrival on Saturday and stay until Sunday.

During the event some streets of the village may be closed or subject to restrictions. In recent editions, external parking and shuttle services to the fair areas have been provided. To reach the fair, follow the signs dedicated to access and parking.

General access to the event may be free, while some masterclasses, lunches, tastings or specific activities may require reservations and a participation fee. Check the official program to find out which appointments must be reserved in advance.

Murisengo is also a destination suitable for families. The park, the outdoor spaces, the truffle hunting demonstrations and the entertainment activities make the visit more varied than a simple market exhibition. Activities for children add an opportunity for discovery to the family day.

The National Black Truffle Fair is one of those events that work best when they are not treated as an isolated event. The truffle is the reason for leaving, but around there is a village, a castle, paths, vineyards, woods and a landscape that at the beginning of summer invites you to stay out until the evening.

Arrive on time, leave the car and walk. Taste the truffle, try a glass of Baratuciat, talk to those who live and work in these hills and then move a few kilometers away from the town. This is how a visit to the fair can become a real weekend in Monferrato: not just something to see, but a territory to cross, taste and remember.

Source: official reference of the event.