Alba: surprisingly cosmopolitan for a town with a local population of just over 30,000. Welcome to Le Langhe, the only place in the world where you can rub elbows with Michelin-starred chefs, truffle hunters, wine producers, and local farmers. 

Before UNESCO designated the Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato as World Heritage Sites, King Carlo Alberto of Savoy named Barolo the “wine of the Court” in the 1840s. Fast forward a century, and the “white gold” of the land, the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba, became an international sensation, thanks to Giacomo Morra, the mastermind behind the idea of a fair dedicated solely to the buying and selling of truffles. This event is now known as the International Alba White Truffle Fair, one of Europe’s longest-running events.