Venice Forum: Truffles

Not something typically Venetian I would think,

No they are not typically Venetian....more piedmont area or even in Vicenza where I saw them at the market....

There are some restaurants in Venice that do "import" them (since they are not native to Venice itself) and the truffle dishes are quite tasty; but to be honest, some of the best truffle dishes (as in they served truffles themselves, not "something with truffle oil" or "something with slices/pieces of truffle") I have ever had (over a course of decades) were in a little trattoria in one of the hill towns of the Colle Euganei, maybe a decade ago (and I have kicked myself may times for not having noted the name, as I was a guest and didn't pay attention, though I was there 5-6 times over a couple weeks for work), and though I wasn't paying, the host was not disappointed by the cost/quality ratio.

The Piemonte area, or Umbria, eastern Tuscany, Le Marche, and the upland parts of Emilia Romagna are the best places. To enjoy the prized white truffles, you'd have to be there when they're in season, which is from mid October to late November, more or less. This year, there were virtually no truffles to be found, for various climactic reasons, so next October would be your next chance.

The best black truffles are the winter truffles, which are found up until about March. The least expensive are the summer truffles, also called scorzoni.

If you want the best truffles, you have to go to a really trustworthy restaurant. Some restaurants serve imported truffles of low quality, which suffer further deterioration during the trip.