The History of the Truffle Fair
Alba Comes Alive with Celebrations, Artworks, and Historical Reenactments: But How Was the Fair Born?
It All Starts with the Grape Harvest...
The first Truffle Fair took place in 1929 on the initiative of Giacomo Morra (1889-1963). Giacomo had gained experience in the restaurant world between the Langhe and the city of Turin and, once back in Alba, decided to dedicate himself to the hotel sector. While managing the Savona hotel, he focused on the truffle and developed the first preservation techniques for it. In the early 1930s, the Truffle Fair was included within the autumn Grape Harvest Festival simply as a backdrop to the presentation of wine production.
In 1933, it acquired the importance it has today: the truffle became the leading specialty, while wine became the setting for various gastronomic tastings.
From the 1960s onwards, Alba committed itself to creating medieval reenactment activities and saw Eisenhower, Churchill, Khrushchev, Marilyn Monroe and many other personalities invited to the Fair by Giacomo Morra himself, walking through its streets.
Not Just Truffles
Today, the Fair combines the world of high-quality truffle-based product trade with music, theater, art and includes immersive experiences, such as the sensory analysis of local products. For the occasion, the city provides a children's area where educational activities are conducted to allow the little ones to learn about our land, thanks to wooden toys made by local artisans.
Time is up!
2022 saw the 92nd edition of the Fair. The pavilion hosting the International White Truffle Market, conveniently located in the Cortile della Maddalena, recorded 95,000 visitors.
This edition was titled “Time is Up”: time has run out, an expression chosen to draw attention to the urgency of stopping climate change. Conferences and meetings were held to discuss environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
This is how the Alba Fair, for almost 100 years, has brought together the fields of haute cuisine, culture, design and the agricultural and traditional world with the contemporary and digitalized one.
