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'Everything needed to achieve the irresistible
perfume of nature and regality of the truffle.'
Leaving Scheggino, we drove on, passing the
13th century walled town of Rieti - the
geographical centre of Italy and crossing the
mountains into Abruzzi for a two day stay in
L'Aquila, strangely vibrant in its decaying
grandeur. Surrounded by a majestic circle of
mountains, its emblem of an imperial eagle is
most apt. Legend has it that the town sprang
up by a miracle, with its 99 castles, 99
squares, 99 fountains and 99 churches - the
evening bell in the old tower of the Law Courts
tolls 99 times!
We started the following day with a truffle
hunt for the brownish summer truffle (T.
aesrivum), which is less pungent than the
white 'Alba' and not as strongly scented as the
black 'perigord', but is preferred by many for
its subtle and less overpowering flavours.
The steep sided hills hereabouts are Dr.
Pacioni's 'home-ground' and he was accompanied
by his own dog 'straight as an arrow', some of
the locals and their dogs, including a renowned
dog trainer who had brought along some of his
'prize winners'. The ground is loose and
stony, making it hard to keep upright let alone
keep with with the dogs. One farmer has
perfected an amazingly relaxed style due to a
remarkably clever dog which goes off on its
own, digs up a truffle and brings it back to
him in its mouth. One large truffle it
carried in it's maw was worth £100 or so. The
hunt ended around a quiet village fountain with
'traditional' refreshments.