Alba, a small town in the northwestern region of Piemonte, is known as Italy’s white truffle capital.
It has hosted Italy’s most famous white truffle market, during which the auction is held, for close to 90 years.
Every year at this time it hosts the famous International Alba White Truffle Fair, which attracts around 100,000 visitors from all over the world who come to buy, sell and smell the tasty tuber.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透社
Dry weather and changing climate patterns have hit production and sent prices soaring. Over the past 25 years, there has been a 30 percent decrease in truffle production. In some places, they are disappearing altogether.
Truffle hunter Marilena Tarable says with this week’s much needed rain the truffles have started growing a little bigger and a bit rounder because the earth has softened.
“But up until now, with the very hard earth, it’s really hard to extract them,” she says.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
A highlight of the fair is the truffle auction, now in its eighteenth year, with proceeds going to charitable causes. This Sunday it took place in Grinzane Cavour Castle with live satellite links to Hong Kong and Dubai.
The winning bidder for the biggest truffle at this year’s auction, from Hong Kong, paid 75,000 euros for a well-rounded truffle weighing 850 grams.
Isabelle Gianicolo of the National Truffle Study Centre noted that the auction price was “symbolic” and did not necessarily reflect the true market price, since the proceeds were donated to charitable causes.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
(AFP)
阿爾巴是位於義大利西北部皮埃蒙特的一個小鎮，被稱為義大利白松露之都。
義大利最著名的白松露市集在此舉辦已近九十年，松露拍賣會則在此間舉行。
每年此時，阿爾巴舉辦著名的國際阿爾巴白松露會展，吸引了來自世界各地的大約十萬名訪客前來，來買賣和嗅聞這些美味的蕈類。
乾燥的天氣和不斷變化的氣候模式已重創松露的產量，並使其價格飛漲。在過去的二十五年間，松露產量已下降了百分之三十。在某一些地方，松露正徹底消失。
松露獵人馬利雷娜‧塔拉布雷表示，本週降下了及時雨，因此松露已開始變大、變圓了一點，因為泥土變軟了。
「但是到目前為止，因為泥土很硬，要拔起松露真的很難。」她說道。
會展的一大亮點是松露拍賣，今年是第十八年舉辦，所得款項將捐助慈善事業。拍賣會上週日在格林贊‧卡烏城堡舉行，現場並有衛星連線至香港和杜拜。
今年拍賣會上最大松露的得標者來自香港，花了七萬五千歐元買下了一枚重達八五○公克、形狀飽滿的松露。
全國松露研究中心的伊莎貝‧加尼可洛指出，拍賣價格是「象徵性的」，並不一定反映實際的市場價格，因為拍賣的收益要捐贈給慈善事業的。
（台北時報編譯林俐凱譯）
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