Pergola: The XXVI edition of the National Prized White Truffle Fair will be held on the first three Sundays of October

Pergola: The XXVI edition of the National Prized White Truffle Fair will be held on the first three Sundays of October.

The program of the XXVI edition of the Marche Chamber of Commerce was presented National Fine White Truffle Fair of Pergola which will be held on the first three Sundays of October with a preview on Saturday 30 September at 16.00 pm: “One Hundred Miglia of Taste, through the Lands of the Truffle” Stop Urbino-Acqualagna-Pergola in collaboration with the Automobile Club of Italy and departure of the procession in the early hours of Sunday 1 October.

A 2023 edition of restart after the years spoiled by Covid and a 2022 which, due to the terrible flood that hit Pergola on 15 September, even canceled the event. The market and demand for truffles, on the other hand, are closely linked to the catering, processing and tourism industries and are highly seasonal and reach their peak in the months of October-November, as they follow the truffle harvest calendars. The truffle market is very fragmented and is made up of a multitude of small operators who are truffle hunters, truffle growers, production companies and distributors. Italy continues to lead the rest of Europe in the production and export of truffles, boasting an ancient harvesting tradition, thanks to the morphological conditions of the territory. As regards overall national production, the central Apennine areas (Marche, Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany) represent 53%, followed by the South with 39% and the North with 8%. In the Province of Pesaro and Urbino there are around 13 thousand collectors in possession of the regular license issued by the Mountain Community, around twenty traders and activities linked to processing. It is estimated that the turnover of the sector is at least 170 million euros per year for a quantity of approximately 1.200 quintals considering the four varieties of truffles that these areas offer, a unique case in the world. The 2023 season gave excellent signs of both quantity and quality of the product, since despite the heat there was significant rainfall which favored its growth. The National Fine White Truffle Fair of Pergola which actually opens the Marche season, is one of the most important distribution channels for this underground mushroom, the undisputed king of the table.

The Program includes a series of unmissable novelties and happenings. The "Weekends and Gourmet Stays at the National Fine White Truffle Fair of Pergola" organized by the Raffaello Travel Group, Hospitality Partner of the event with proposals for visiting the Marche and Pergola during the Fair: gourmet itineraries that will allow you to live the experience authenticity of the Fair and its flavours. The “marriage” between the Maccheroncini di Campofilone and the White Truffle. The Pergola Truffle Show, the cooking shows hosted by chefs from the Marche region with a Michelin star: Pierpaolo Ferracuti, Enrico Mazzaroni, Davide Di Fabio, Stefano Ciotti, Nikita Sergeev and Errico Recanati. Sunday 1 October at 16.00 pm the concert in Piazza Fulvi by Bandabardò "If I relax I collapse" a book played with the participation of Giobbe Covatta. Also on Sunday, but at 17.00 pm at the Teatro dei Golosi the "Guzzini Lifetime Achievement Award" to Livia and Alfonso Iaccarino, two Michelin star chefs, a second prize will be awarded on Sunday 15th at 17.00 pm to the chef from the Marche region, Lucio Pompili.

“We are expecting thousands of visitors – declared Simona Guidarelli Mayor of Pergola – for a 2023 edition of our Fair which saw the entire municipal machinery involved, to which my personal thanks go, since organizing an event like this is anything but easy” .

“This edition is the rebirth of our Fair – declared Sabrina Santelli Councilor with responsibility for Tourism and Productive Activities of the Municipality of Pergola – and will make the very important numbers that characterize the link between Pergola and its Prized White Truffle tangible. An exceptional testimonial, a true fulcrum on which to structure an economic, entrepreneurial, tourism and hospitality project. A cultural model of rebirth that can involve all layers of society starting from the world of school. At the same time, the Precious White Truffle of Pergola allows networking activities such as the one now consolidated with the Automobile Club of Italy. This edition's program is full of events which will see the participation of prominent figures from the world of food and beverage".

“We are happy to host the presentation of this initiative – underlined the President of the Marche Chamber of Commerce Gino Sabatini – excellent for several reasons: first of all because it focuses on one of the most prestigious excellences of the Marche region. We have a regional reality of truly respectable producers who deserve, and would benefit from, being promoted in a unified way. Thanks to the truffle we can also convey the food and wine heritage of our territories starting from the Maccheroncino di Campofilone, present in Italian restaurants all over the world, which happens perfectly in the event of the Municipality of Pergola which involves the stars of Marche cuisine, our chefs. This event dedicated to the white truffle, a great attractor for guests from all over Italy and, why not, from abroad, takes place in the first autumn, allowing the tourist offer to be deseasonalised, which is an objective towards which the Marche promotional strategy rightly tends. Add to all this the importance of the presence and support of a family and an important entrepreneurial reality, such as that of Guzzini, world leader in terms of sustainability and attention to territories from all points of view".

“We have always been a company linked to the territory – declared Domenico Guzzini President of the Fiamag Holding – and we gladly accepted the invitation to the XXVI edition of the National Fine White Truffle Fair of Pergola. This year we will reward with two works by the Marche artist Ermenegildo Pannocchia Livia and Alfonso Iaccarino, parents of Mediterranean cuisine and Lucio Pompili, a chef from the Marche who has made the Marche region great in the world of catering for several decades now".

“A successful marriage between the Maccheroncini di Campofilone and the White Truffle – remarked Ercole D'Ercoli, Councilor with responsibility for Tourism of the Municipality of Campofilone – and we can't wait to taste this great meeting in the coming weeks”.

“Aci marries this project – declared Antonella Mati Director of ACI Pesaro – with the belief that the experience of parades with historic cars can be perfectly integrated with a development model of experiential tourism which sees the truffle as its catalyst”.

“A major deseasonalization operation – concluded Marco Bruschini, director of ATIM – which aligns perfectly with our strategies. From a tourism point of view, September gives encouraging signs and an event like this can boost our entire tourism system in the Marche region".