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Photo: Oressea
The dogs gambolling ahead of us send fallen leaves in russet, pumpkin, and cinnamon flying. It is such a joy to see the two dogs — an 11-month-old springer spaniel puppy called Lily and a three-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo called Brisa, in work mode. Their senses are on alert, ears and tails erect, occasionally stopping to sniff at the undergrowth, scampering off once they are convinced it isn’t a truffle they have caught on to.
We smile at the sight while dappled sunlight filters through the foliage from the surrounding oak, cypress, and elm trees.
The mood turns serious and dark when the dogs’ owner, Mattia Nasi, a 24-year-old tartufaio (truffle hunter) from a second-generation family business called Oressea, tells us about finding a poisoned sausage in one of his father’s forests last week. “They used rat poison, which turned the sausage blue, so I saw it easily,” says Nasi, still upset at the possibility of losing one of his four dogs.
Fierce competition for hunters
Two years ago, one of them found a white truffle that weighed 661g, fetching Nasi a princely sum that he declines to disclose. In 2007, late casino kingpin Stanley Ho paid US$300,000 ($409,395) for a 1.49kg white truffle, making headlines worldwide.
Nasi with Lily, a springer-spaniel puppy, and Brisa, a Lagotto Romagnolo. (Photo: Mavis Teo)
To jealous hunters, fewer truffle dogs mean more truffles to be found. Besides laying out poisoned sausages, some will also put out meatballs with razor blades, resulting in a slow, excruciating death for the unsuspecting dog.
Despite the dangers of their job, the four-legged tartufaio are treated like furbabies. In the past, they were “treated like machines,” says Nasi, of how older generations of tartufaio trained their hounds. Nasi, who went for his first hunt at five years old and only started hunting solo five years ago, shadowed an 80-year-old tartufaio mentor he calls “grandfather”. “He was tough and strict with his dogs. He respected them, but there was little tenderness,” adds Nasi, scratching Brisa behind her ears and patting Lily lovingly.
Truffles contain pheromones, making them irresistible to many. (Photo: COMO Hotels & Resorts)
In Tuscany, while stories of truffle dogs getting poisoned are still heard of, “there are less of them now”. However, it still seems a big problem in places like Abruzzo in central Italy and Piedmont, where police have been said to dispatch trained hounds ahead of the peak seasons to find poisoned bait.
Because of the logistics of the business, it is not difficult to lay traps and get away with it. “We put up fences, but someone can go into a forest easily,” says Nasi, who has resorted to calling the police rather than getting into a fist fight with trespassers hunting in his father’s forests.
But still, for most people, one case is too many. While I love truffles, I have been, until now, blissfully ignorant of the dark side of the trade. It seems that I am not alone. Silence falls on us as we consider the consequences of our love for the fungus.
Photo: COMO Hotels & Resorts
Besides his father’s woods, Nasi and his dogs also “hunt” at the COMO Castello del Nero’s estate in Tavarnelle Val de Pesa in Chianti, south of Florence and north of Siena. Here, he takes hotel guests on hunts that last 60 to 90 minutes. The spoils make their way to a wine-paired meal at the hotel.
A COMO first in Europe
The facade and grounds of COMO Castello del Nero still bear a distinctive Tuscan country house look. (Photo: COMO Hotels & Resorts)
In 2017, Singaporean and COMO Hotels & Resorts founder and owner Christina Ong bought the 740-ha Castello del Nero estate—vines, olive groves, and all—with the 12th-century castle that houses the 50-key hotel. The property opened in 2019 after a makeover by Milanese architect Paola Navone, who also designed COMO hotels in Bali, Phuket, Miami, and Singapore.
It marked COMO’s first foray into continental Europe. (Since then, COMO has opened in France and another property in the Italian Dolomites.)
Italy, Piedmont, particularly Alba, is the most well-known for truffles, especially white ones, but truffles can also be found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Le Marche. “Truffles from these places get marketed as Alba ones sometimes,” says Nasi with a laugh, “Alba is a branding that fetches higher prices.”
Different species can be found in different seasons. On the COMO estate, Nasi has found black summer truffles, black smooth truffles, truffle bianchetto, and prized white truffles.
Aged chianina beef with black truffle sauce and freshly shaved black truffle. (Photo: COMO Hotels & Resorts)
As it is winter, we hope the dogs will find a white truffle, but Nasi says that while he has found them during tours, we are more likely to find a black one. The dogs dig up many truffles that morning, but most are small. When we say “ciao”, Nasi gives each of us a paper bag with truffles. I smell mine — a delicious combination of porcini and parmesan — before passing it to the hotel staff for my lunch.
Signature luxe touches
Castello Del Nero was first built and owned by the Del Nero family. It changed hands a few times before Ong, who first stayed on the property as a guest in 2007, bought it. Navone did away with the dark terracotta, floral upholstery, and warm colours, giving the interiors a palette of greens, whites, and greys to align with the pared-down COMO aesthetics.
Most of the bedrooms reflect the pared-down aesthetics COMO is famous for. (Photo: COMO Hotels & Resorts)
As COMO is well-known for wellness, checking into the COMO Shambhala Retreat is a must. The eau-de-nil and white aesthetics here immediately remind me of the Singapore retreat in COMO Orchard. Definitely partake in the inspiring yoga classes and have a relaxing COMO Shambhala signature massage. Guests can also take their pick among a plethora of activities, which include culinary (wine-tasting is highly recommended), adventure (hot air balloon) and nature (walks).
The lobby at COMO Castello Del Nero. (Photo: COMO Hotels & Resorts)
Soon, lunch is ready. The four-course wine-paired lunch at trattoria La Taverna (which also serves Tuscan-classics like pasta al pomodoro or Chianina steak) is overseen by executive chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro, who also holds the fort at the one-Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant La Torre at dinner. As I tuck into the delicious, boozy, and soporific lunch, I think about the truffle dogs: Bless the little troopers’ hearts. Please stay safe.
