Truffle Hunting in San Miniato, Tuscany: Meet Francesca

Truffle hunting in San Miniato, in the heart of Tuscany, rarely ends in the woods when Francesca is your host. It ends at a long table in an old Tuscan villa, with a plate of tagliolini al tartufo and a glass of wine from the family farm. If you book a truffle experience in San Miniato with us, there is a good chance you will meet her. This is her story.

A San Miniato family that has traded truffles since 1882

Francesca Starnotti grew up in San Miniato, the hill town between Florence and Pisa that is famous for its white truffles. Her family's link with Tuscan truffles is older than she is: in 1882 her grandfather Marco began sending fresh truffles to Florence, which makes hers one of the oldest truffle families we know.

Today she is a truffle hunter herself. She walks the family woods with her Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, the curly-coated truffle dogs bred for this work: Cioco, the veteran of the pack, and Heres, the young one, named after the Greek god of war. Guests who hunt with her often remember the moment one of them finds a truffle.

The villa at Fattoria Collebrunacchi, San Miniato

The heart of the experience is the family home: an old Tuscan villa from the 17th century, part of Fattoria Collebrunacchi, on a working farm in the hills of San Miniato. It is a real family house, not a restaurant, and guests often say they felt like a guest in a Tuscan home rather than part of a tour.

The farm also makes its own red and white wines and olive oil, and sells fresh truffles, so many guests leave San Miniato with a small taste of Tuscany in their bag.

"Francesca was the best host. The property and house is stunning. She was very knowledgeable and we learned so much about truffles." James Hartzog, USA

Truffle food at Francesca's table

After the truffle hunt, the table is where the day comes together. The truffle lunch is home cooking built around the truffles you have just seen come out of the ground. A typical menu includes:

• Bruschetta with fresh truffles, or a Tuscan bean soup
• Tagliolini al tartufo, fresh pasta with shaved truffle
• Eggs or meat with truffle
• Dessert with Vin Santo, and the farm's own wines throughout

The pasta is made fresh in the farmhouse kitchen, where Maria rolls it out by hand.

Watch Francesca hunt truffles in San Miniato

The best way to meet Francesca before you book is to watch her at work. These two videos show a truffle hunt in the San Miniato woods, with her dogs and the truffles coming out of the ground.

We were also visited by a Tripadvisor video crew, who filmed a truffle hunt with us for their Tripadvisor Insider series.

Truffle hunting and wine tasting: a typical day

Want to see how a typical day runs? This video, released by Viator in 2018, shows the Truffle Hunting & Wine Tasting Tour, our small-group day from Florence: a truffle hunt with the dogs in the woods of San Miniato, a truffle lunch, and a wine tasting at a Chianti Classico winery.

And if you are curious about how truffles are found in the first place, this video explains how hunters and their dogs do it.

Two ways to hunt truffles with Francesca in Tuscany

If you are staying in Florence and want everything organised, choose the Truffle Hunting & Wine Tasting Tour. It is a small-group day of up to 8 guests from Florence, with transport in an air-conditioned minivan, a truffle hunt with a professional hunter and her Lagotto dog in the woods of San Miniato, a multi-course truffle lunch paired with wine, and a tasting of Chianti Classico wines and extra virgin olive oil at an organic winery.

If you would rather spend the day with Francesca at the villa, book San Miniato Truffle Hunting With Lunch. You meet Francesca at Fattoria Collebrunacchi in a small group of up to 12 guests, hunt truffles in the San Miniato woods with her dog, then sit down to a three-course truffle lunch: truffle appetizers, tagliolini al tartufo and a Vin Santo dessert, paired with the farm's own wines.

Good to know: San Miniato Truffle Hunting With Lunch does not include transport from Florence. San Miniato is about 45 minutes by car, or you can take the train from Florence and a short taxi ride to the villa. The forest walk is easy but needs regular mobility, and rubber boots are provided.