No more than 20 kms from Gubbio lies an area known as Burano after the mass immigration some three hundred years ago from the Venetian island of the same name.
Close to Gubbio the area is utterly beautiful, surprisingly remote, and quite unspoilt, indeed as I first remember Umbria some twenty years ago.
The residents of Burano arrived to escape the plague, and stayed, and remain in the area to this day. Today Italians ‘in the know’ arrive to eat White Truffles at “Baffone” a second generation Sard family run restaurant.
White truffles, foiund in the area around Gubbio, including Valdichiascio are extremely prized and this year commanding a price of €1,000.00 a kilo, somewhat down on five years ago when the price rose to €4,500.00 per kilo. Price is determined by supply. One of my neighbours, a registed truffle hunter found a 100 gramme specimen recently, a lucratve dog walk!
And many Italians are ‘in the know’ the large restaurant was packed. Luckily we had booked and our host is well known to the proprietor.
We dined on bruschetta and frittata of mixed truffle, followed by tagliatelle and gnocci smothered in white truffle shavings, and then a similarly dressed fonduta, quite exceptional, indeed sublime…..
I meant to take the camera but forgot so you will just have to come to Bellaugello and invite me to take you there to see for yourselves!
The International Truffle Fair held in Gubbio runs from 30th. October until 2nd. November.