Italy's dean of truffle hunters is
still going strong at the age of 89 after some 70 years scouring
the Umbrian woods for the prized tuber and culinary delicacy
with his beloved sniffer dogs.
"I got the truffle bug from my father Domenico," said Bianchini
of the activity that two years ago got onto the UNESCO list of
intangible cultural heritage.
"I have always worked in the fields on the family farm and I
started hunting truffles at a very young age, fascinated by the
unmistakable scent of the tagliatelle and gnocchi my mother
Ester would make.
Bianchini recalled that he had once fund a monster black truffle
weighing over a kilo, and had had a succession of beloved
truffle hounds including Zara, Brilla and Dik, "without whom I
wouldn't have known where to start".
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