Giulio

Giuliois a third-generation truffle hunter. Born in the Piedmont region, the "best place for food in the world," he says, Giulio never planned to do anything other than truffle hunting. He spent several years studying to be a truffle hunter and then passed an exam to do so; all Italian truffle hunters must be certified to enter the forest and search.
Giulio has the Italian passion for life and food, punctuating his words by waving his hands and leaning on his heels as he speaks to us of the economics of truffles. "We're always looking to find different ways to make money," he says, explaining why he offers truffle hunting tours. There are two other truffle hunters who offer tours in the Tuscany region while the rest of the truffle hunters --- approximately 2,000 or so in Italy --- focus on gathering truffles and selling them at markets and directly to dealers. Giulio spends one day each week on a tour and the other six with his dog Edda, roaming the forest in search of the delicacy.