Today we went to a tiny mountain village in Pettino, (seriously tiny, population under 75) to spend the day as the guests of the Chiacarini family that has been sheep herding and gathering truffles in Pettino since 1486. It really was one of the most beautiful and memorable days we've ever had. After a long, steep and winding drive, we turned onto a gravel road and were greeted by some basset hounds, a big pig, lots of cats and Mac, a New Zealander who married into the family about 12 years ago.

Over a strong espresso, Mac told us the story... Many years ago, he was hanging out in the Apennine mountains when he came across an older man herding sheep. They started talking and the man said he was planning to move his sheep - a three day walk. Mac asked if he could come along and the man said to come to his house at 3 AM in a few days time. Mac showed up and the man's daughter Francesca answered the door. The rest as they say, is history. They are now married with two children and manage the farm, sheep, truffle business and most recently, an agriturismo that can host up to 8 people at a time. Mac said the jury's still out as to whether his father-in-law plotted for this young single guy to come to his house.  Apparently he was really surprised that Mac actually showed up. As Francesca's father was growing older, Mac eventually enticed his cousin to come to Pettino. This Kiwi cousin is now the sheep herder and also married to an Italian woman who he met online! 

We loaded into some trucks and drove a little ways up the mountain. Mac is a really lovely guy - answering a million questions that we had about truffles. I just really wanted to know about truffle oil because the strong smell has always bothered me and I dislike anything with truffle oil on it. And... drumroll....he shared that "truffle oil" is fake news! Truffle oil is basically olive oil infused with flavored chemicals. Even if they throw in bits of truffles, the flavor of the truffles dissipates over time, making the floating truffle bits a marketing ploy.  Mac definitely knows his stuff - the chef from the French Laundry visited him a few years ago to learn from him. Apparently truffles have a very short shelf life and neither salt nor oil will preserve it. They must be eaten fresh and after 12 days, it isn't worth your time. Sorry all you truffle oil lovers but I love this information.

We came to a clearing and met Luca, the truffle hunter and his dogs. We learned that there are four types of truffles that they gather, depending on the season. The truffles grow up to 6 inches underground near the roots of certain trees. The highly trained dogs know how to smell them, dig them up, and gently hold them in their mouth in exchange for a biscuit.  Two of the dogs are 11 years old and the black one, Mora is just 7 months and learning. They were SO smart and fast.

 

We followed Luca and the dogs up and down gentle hills, through pastures and into the forest. It was just so amazing to watch the dogs do their job. Mora in particular was so joyful and enthusiastic just racing around, digging and wagging like crazy. Luca has such a special relationship with the dogs. The air was crisp, the sky was blue, it was magic up there! (I'll keep trying to upload a video of the dogs!) 

After gathering a bunch of truffles, we headed back to the trucks and Luca measured them  on his cool old scale. About one kilo! We then headed down to the sheep pasture and the world's most adorable welcoming committee.

 There were at least 12 big white sheep dogs and a bunch of other ones who guard the sheep against wolves. Apparently the wolves in Italy don't usually congregate in more than 2 or 3 so their large numbers of dogs can fend them off, although they still lose one or two sheep a year (Our trip to the alpaca farm got cancelled because they only have 4 left - the rest were taken by wolves! I think they must need more dogs!) 

Earlier we had seen some of the fabrics that are made from the wool that the farm provides. Karen really wanted to touch a Merino wool sheep so Mac caught one and let her touch it. He plucked out a small piece of wool that she is going to weave into her tapestry later. They supply some of the finest merino wool in Italy to clothiers in Milan - one of the last  farms in Italy to do so.

We got served Prosecco and fresh pecorino cheese while we hung out in the field, playing with the dogs and enjoying the beautiful weather. The truffles were totally delicious shaved over fresh eggs - prepared from the back of the truck by Luca. Whatta day! But we weren't done yet! We headed back to the house and settled in with glasses of wine to watch Francesca make their family's traditional fresh pasta (each family in the area has their own unique pasta.)

  Meanwhile, Luca was busy preparing home made sausage and bruschetta. Once the pasta was done, we went to another building to eat! Yes! More eating! Three courses including a ricotta pie, then the fresh pasta with home made olive oil and truffles, then braised pork with mashed potatoes. OMG. So much eating. It was a truly awesome day made possible by a very small number of family members who were incredibly kind and gracious. 

PS You may have noticed I have new clothes on - they are Karen's. My bag still had not arrived in the morning and I was beginning to lose hope but at 5:00 PM there was a knock on our door. Hallelujah!  Very nice to have clean stuff and everything else! Check out the rest of the photos below. It was too hard to choose. Tomorrow we go to Perugia!