Truffle Hunting, Nature Walks & Biodynamic Wine
Wine & Food Tours If you love nature, gentle walks, and authentic Tuscan experiences, this tour is perfect for you.
In the countryside around San Miniato, the day begins with a warm welcome at the home of Riccardo, a local truffle hunter, and his well-trained dogs. Together, we walk into the nearby woods for a truffle-hunting experience, following the dogs as they search for these precious treasures hidden underground. Depending on the season, you may find white or black truffles, as different varieties grow in different areas throughout the year. The walk lasts about 1.5 hours and is a true sensory experience, unforgettable for both your nose and your palate.
There might be other visitors sharing the truffle hunt part.
Truffle-Based Lunch
After the hunt, we return to the hunter's property, which is also a renowned shop for fresh truffles, to enjoy a rich lunch entirely dedicated to truffles. The meal includes a selection of Tuscan cold cuts, cheeses with truffle honey, bruschetta with truffle sauces and truffle olive oil, seasonal vegetables or beans dressed with truffle, a delicious pasta dish topped with freshly shaved truffles, and a small dessert. Water and local wine are included.
Soft Walk Among Vineyards & Historic Church
After lunch, we continue by car to the nearby vineyards. Before the wine tasting, together with your private guide, you'll enjoy an easy walk, through rolling hills and vines, with a stop at the Pieve of San Giovanni Battista, an ancient hilltop church in a stunning panoramic position. Dating back to 892 AD, this is one of the oldest sacred sites in the region. Partially restored after an earthquake, it still preserves traces of its long history. During the Middle Ages, it served as a residence for the powerful Della Gherardesca family. Marble details and Roman fragments on the façade quietly tell the story of this land's deep past.
Biodynamic Winery Visit & Tasting
On the way back, we meet Francesco, a passionate winemaker who produces wine using organic and biodynamic methods. His small estate covers just three hectares, where great care is given to the soil and the vines. Walking through the vineyard with him, Francesco explains how respect for nature and attention to detail in the fields lead to excellent results in the cellar.
The experience ends with a guided tasting of four wines produced on the estate: one white, one rosé, and two reds.
A day filled with nature, history, flavors, and authentic Tuscan traditions.
This is a list of specialties that you are likely to sample as part of the program of this tour. Please, note that the specialties of the tasting session and/or lunch may vary according to the season and the availability of the products in the day of the tour.
The kind of truffle available is subject to seasonal change.
Between September and December the precious White Truffle of San Miniato will be served.
In the other months, Scorzone black truffle, Marzolino white truffle or Nero Pregiato black truffles will be served instead.
In our tour we like showing you places off the beaten track and introducing you to Tuscan people with their personal stories, careers and characters.
You will have one of our guides with your party during the whole tour. Please, see below all the guides who can be with you.
During this experience you can also meet some of the Tuscan friends involved in the events. Please, see below which friends you are likely to encounter.
The total rate for this activity varies according to the number of people in your party.
Check rates in the table below.
|
Truffle Hunting, Nature Walks & Biodynamic Wine – RATES 2026 – |
|
|---|---|
| Number of people in your party | Total rate |
| 2 persons | € 680 |
| 3 persons | € 910 |
| 4 persons | € 1140 |
| 5 persons | € 1370 |
| 6 persons | € 1600 |
| 7 persons | € 1830 |
| 8 persons | € 2060 |
| Extra person | € 230 |
| Extra teen (12-17 yrs) | € 140 |
| Extra child (4-11 yrs) | € 100 |
| Truffle Hunting, Nature Walks & Biodynamic Wine WITH FULL LUNCH WHITE TRUFFLE SEASON (FROM THE 1st october through THE 9TH january) – RATES 2026 – |
|
|---|---|
| Number of people in your party | Total rate |
| 2 persons | € 760 |
| 3 persons | € 1030 |
| 4 persons | € 1300 |
| 5 persons | € 1570 |
| 6 persons | € 1840 |
| 7 persons | € 2110 |
| 8 persons | € 2380 |
| Extra person | € 270 |
| Extra teen (12-17 yrs) | € 160 |
| Extra child (4-11 yrs) | € 120 |
Rates include
- A private English-speaking tour leader for the whole tour. Also available in French, German, Spanish
- Walk in the wood with truffle hunting experience – might be shared with other visitors
- Full truffle-based lunch at the hunter's place
- Guided walk between the truffle place and the winery – private experience
- Guided walk in the vines with the wine maker
- Visit to the wine cellars
- Wine tasting (4 wines)
- Taxes
Rates do NOT include
- Transportation;
- Tips to the staff. Not included, not obligatory but very much appreciated;
Transportation is not included in the rates above. For more info on transportation, please see the box “Transportation options”.
This are the words of Katie and Micah after joining us for a private truffle hunting tour with Riccardo across the hills of San Miniato
Dear Arianna and friends team
We just wanted to send an email letting you know what a wonderful experience this was. It was far more than we even expected and are so great ful we decided to do it.
Ricardo was wonderful, informative, and so nice as well as Monica. The lunch after was unforgettable! Everything was so great and will be one of our favorite memories from this trip.
Thank you so much for your help and service.
Katie and Micah
This is a message from Sharon who took her teenager children and her husband to Tuscan for a full experiencial holiday with many of our tours
Arianna, thank you! I hope, by now, that you and the team have recovered from the Bocelli concert!
I’m sorry not to have written back before now, but we have been very busy putting life and the businesses back in order upon our return.
We had the best, best time, and I have already begun giving out your business cards to friends and acquaintances who have inquired. We all feel that we got to know the area of Tuscany rather well during our stay, and could not have thought of a way to make the trip better.
No vacation will ever quite be the same, as my standards have now changed because of Arianna and Friend’s great offering of activities.
Although the family cannot agree on any ONE activity we felt was our favorite, we all agree that the San Minato day of chocolate, Lee’s bio-dynamic winery, and the truffle-hunting was probably our most memorable day as a whole.
Thank you, again, for helping me to be a hero within the family. If you or your team are ever in Southern California, you’ll always have a place to stay.
Please give our heartfelt greeting to Massimo and the rest!
XO
Sharon
This is an email we received from Libby and her husband who spent two days with us, including our truffle hunting tour:
We spent two days with you touring a cheese factory, an olive mill and the greatest adventure of all — truffle hunting with a man and his dog. All three experiences were some of the best I’ve had in Italy mainly because your guide tailors the tours to your individual needs and expectations. He is extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with. He explained in detail the processes used in each industry as well as the history of the region. I learned more about truffles and olive oil than I ever knew in the twelve years I’ve been coming to Italy. I highly recommend you, as well as the company Arianna & Friends, for a very special adventure tour in Italy.
This tour includes a walk through the woods on terrain that is not always flat and a few more challenging stretches. If you have any accessibility needs — whether mobility-related, sensory, cognitive, or any other requirements — please let us know in advance and we will do our best to adapt the itinerary for you.
LOCATION OF ATTRACTIONS:
This tour takes place in the area of San Miniato, in central Tuscany, between Pisa and Volterra. about 30 km from Selvatelle, 40 km from Volterra, San Gimignano and Montaione
MEET-UP LOCATION:
Unless differently specified, the tour guide meets you at a meeting point in or near San Miniato.
DURATION:
This program takes 4 hours (transportation not included).
AVAILABILITY:
Between October and December: white truffle season
Between January and August: marzolino or black truffle season
LANGUAGE:
This tour is available in English language. German, French, Spanish or Italian are also available with no surcharge.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
Medium
CHILD FRIENDLY:
Ideal for children
CLOTHING:
Comfortable shoes recommended. As we walk in woods, we recommend to wear no shorts nor sandals.
FOOD RESTRICTIONS:
The foods served during this tour might contain gluten, lactose, nuts and alcohol. If you have any food restriction, please inform our personnel during the enquiry process.
TRANSPORTATION:
This program and its rates do not include transportation and are set on a self-driving base. For further information see the box "transportation options".
The destinations reached during this activity are in the Tuscan countryside, in areas off the beaten track that cannot be reached by public transport. We highly recommend renting a car or a scooter in order to reach them. As an alternative, we can offer a valued service by chauffeured car, van or minibus. Any cost of transportation is to be added to the rates displayed on the rate table of this page.
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