Truffle from Lake Garda

In the last twenty years, it has been discovered that Alto Garda Bresciano is also a land with a high vocation for the growth of truffles, this prized and sought-after product.

On the Brescia side, it grows between Lake Garda and the morainic hills of the lower lake in Valtenesi, which includes the municipalities of:

• Padenghe sul Garda,
• Soiano del Lago
• Moniga del Garda,
• Manerba del Garda,
• Polpenazze del Garda,
• Puegnago del Garda,
• San Felice del Benaco.

The summer black, hooked, and prized varieties grow in Renzano and on the hills of the panoramic road of the Municipality of Salò.

In the Alto Garda Bresciano and on Monte Baldo, you can find black truffle, both summer and hooked, and prized black truffle (melanosporum). The prized black truffle has a pleasant and intense aroma and generally ripens from November to March.

Of lesser value but present are the summer black or scorzone truffles and the winter black truffles.

Garda Truffles

A territory that offers precious flavors such as Garda truffles.

The Morainic Hills of Lower Garda, between the Province of Mantua south of Lake Garda and to the north, specifically between the provinces of Brescia and Verona, are home to:

• Summer Black or Scorzone (Tuber aestivum)
• Winter Black (Tuber brumale)
• Hooked Black (Tuber uncinatum)
• Prized Black (Tuber Melanosporum).

The prized white truffle is the best-known and most appreciated species in Italy, and on Lake Garda, it is generally found from October to December.

The Brescia Truffle Growers Association and the Verona Truffle Growers Associations have developed truffle farms in the municipalities of;

• Toscolano Maderno,
• Tignale,
• Tremosine,
• Roè Volciano,
• Pertica Alta,
• and in other areas of the lake.

What is truffle

Truffle is a prized hypogeous fungus that, due to its commercial attributes, has also generated interest in the scientific world to determine its typing and possible reproduction. The fungus lives in symbiosis with the plant and, under specific conditions (climate, soil, presence of insects, etc.), develops the fruiting body (the truffle).

The aroma of truffle attracts the attention of researchers, truffle growers, private companies, and buyers of mycorrhized seedlings, in addition to consumers and restaurateurs.

Thanks to the availability of scientific investigations, it is possible to identify the different prized truffle species, control the mycorrhization of seedlings intended for sale, and evaluate soil quality for truffle production.

In nature, it is particularly complex to study the soil directly in contact with the roots of plants; it is therefore a very dynamic environment in which the plant, soil, and microorganisms interact.

The rhizosphere forms following the release of root exudates by the roots, which constitute a source of nourishment for microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi associated with the roots (Walker et al., 2003). In light of the recent publication of the black truffle genome (Martin et al., 2010), precise identification of the different varieties has begun.