Truffle Hunting in TuscanySiena Truffle Hunting: The Siena Tartufi Experience Reviewed
Siena truffle hunting does not get more central than this. Siena Tartufi meets you at the Porta Romana gate inside the city walls, walks you into nearby woods with Alessandro and his dogs for about 1 hour 20 minutes, then finishes with a truffle tasting at his shop. The whole thing lasts 2 hours, costs $163.72 and takes groups of up to 8 travelers. There is no lunch and no transport, which is exactly why it suits a visitor staying in Siena without a car. This page sets out what the price covers, what the day looks like hour by hour, and who should book a different listing. For the wider picture, see our the Tuscany truffle hunt catalogue comparison.
About This Tour
Alessandro has hunted truffles for 25 years and runs Siena Tartufi himself. He takes shared groups of up to 8 travelers into the woods outside Siena with three of his own dogs: Moka and Freddie, both Lagotto Romagnolo, and Pepita, a black Labrador. The walk runs about 1 hour 20 minutes of the 2-hour total, and he teaches you how to extract a truffle from the ground once a dog starts digging.
After the hunt the group meets at his shop for a truffle tasting. It is a tasting, not a meal. The spread includes truffle sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano, olives, mushrooms, chickpeas, pecorino, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar and truffle salami. If you want a sit-down truffle lunch afterward, this is not the listing for it, and a lunch-inclusive listing may fit better.
$163.72 per person, booked through Viator
2 hours in total, of which about 1 hour 20 minutes is hunting in the woods
In front of the Porta Romana gate in Siena, and the tour ends back at the same point
No transport is included and there is no hotel pickup. The listing states that public transportation options are available nearby, so you reach the gate on foot from your Siena accommodation
A truffle tasting with Parmigiano Reggiano, olives, pecorino, mushrooms, chickpeas, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar and truffle salami. No lunch is included
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled start for a full refund, with a 100% refund at 1 or more days notice and 0% inside 24 hours
Check Dates and Availability
This is a shared group capped at 8 travelers, so places on any one departure are few. Check the calendar for your dates below.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Meet at Porta Romana, two hours with the dogs, a tasting after
This Siena truffle hunting experience costs $163.72, runs 2 hours and starts on foot at the Porta Romana gate in Siena, so no car is needed.
Key takeaways
- About 1 hour 20 minutes is spent hunting with Alessandro and his three dogs, the rest is a tasting at his shop. See what the price covers.
- No transport and no lunch are included, which is the trade-off for meeting inside Siena. See the honest cons.
- Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start. See what to settle before you book.
- Want a full meal instead of a tasting? Compare the San Gimignano hunt with lunch and wine.
What the Price Actually Covers
At $163.72 this is a mid-price listing. The table below sets out what the operator's own Includes and Exclusions lists say, line by line, and how the same lines look on competing hunts.
Included and not included
The listing names two inclusions: the spade and tools for truffle hunting, and the truffle tasting. It lists no exclusions, so the operator does not spell out what is missing. In practice three things are absent and you should plan for them: no transport, no hotel pickup, and no lunch. The tasting is filed under brunch in the operator's listing, but it is a standing tasting of truffle products, not a seated meal.
Against this, compare the Chianti hunt with pasta class at $184 for 4 hours, or the full-day tour from Florence at $391.75 for 7 hours with transport between stops. This Siena listing buys a shorter, simpler day and charges for it accordingly.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guided hunt with dogs | Yes | About 1 hour 20 minutes with Alessandro, his assistant and three dogs |
| Truffle tools | Yes | Spade and tools for truffle are named in the Includes list |
| Truffle tasting | Yes | Truffle sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano, olives, mushrooms, chickpeas, pecorino, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar, truffle salami |
| Lunch | No | No lunch is included on this listing |
| Transport | No | Meet at Porta Romana, no hotel pickup, no minivan |
| Group size | Shared | Up to 8 travelers per departure |
Where the money goes
The listing does not break down the price, so no allocation between guide, dogs and tasting is stated. What the price does buy is the owner personally. Alessandro is the hunter, not an employee, and the tasting happens at his own shop, so a larger share of the fee stays with the operator than on a listing run by an agency.
His 25 years of hunting and the three working dogs are the core of what you pay for. If owner-led matters to you, note that the Castelnuovo Berardenga hunt at $122.79 adds an English-speaking interpreter instead, at a lower price and a meeting point about a 30-minute drive from Siena.
Sources: the operator's own listing on Viator, Regione Toscana, truffle rules and the UNESCO listing of truffle hunting in Italy.
Black winter truffles (Tuber melanosporum) at a market stall. Photo: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The operator's own activity description describes the flow in three stages. No clock start times are printed in the listing, so confirm your departure time when you book.
Meet at the gate
The group assembles in front of the Porta Romana gate in Siena. There is no vehicle involved, so you arrive on foot from wherever you are staying in the city. The listing notes that public transportation options are available nearby.
From the gate the group walks out of the walls toward the woods with Alessandro and his assistant.
The hunt, about 1 hour 20 minutes
Alessandro works the ground with his dogs while answering questions as you walk. The description is specific about the method: when the dogs start digging, the group gets closer and he teaches you how to extract a truffle from the ground. Italian law requires that the search be carried out with a trained dog and that digging happen only where the dog indicates, so what you watch is the real licensed method, not a staged performance.
Expect woods walking at a moderate pace for the full 80 minutes, which is why the listing asks for at least moderate fitness.
The tasting at the shop
After the walk the group meets at Alessandro's shop for the tasting. The menu as printed runs to truffle sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, olives, mushrooms, chickpeas, pecorino cheese, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar, truffle salami and more. It makes up the remaining time of the 2-hour visit.
This is the point where you can buy the products if you want to, and the walk back to central Siena is short.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing states a small number of hard limits. Here they are, each with an alternative that fits better.
Pregnant travelers
The listing says outright that the experience is not recommended for pregnant travelers. If that is you, look at a listing with a gentler format, or read the truffle seasons and method guide and plan a market visit instead of a hunt.
Anyone wanting a low-effort walk
The listing asks travelers to have at least a moderate level of physical fitness, and the hunt portion is about 1 hour 20 minutes of woods walking. If you need a short or seated experience, no alternative on this site is stated as easier, so contact operators directly before booking.
Anyone expecting a meal
No lunch is included, only a tasting. Travelers who want the hunt and the meal in one booking should compare the San Miniato hunt with a three-course truffle lunch at $233.88 for 3 hours, or the San Gimignano lunch listing at $218. If you prefer to stay in the Siena area, the Castelnuovo Berardenga hunt also excludes lunch and costs $122.79, so you could hunt there and eat in Siena afterward.
Travelers needing a stated minimum age or wheelchair access
No minimum age is stated and no wheelchair information is stated in the listing. That silence is not the same as access. If either applies to your group, ask the operator in writing before you pay, or check the Volterra hunt page, where the access rules are spelled out explicitly.
What to Settle Before You Book
Four things are worth fixing in writing or in your packing before you pay for this one.
The cancellation terms
Free cancellation runs to 24 hours before the scheduled start, with a 100% refund at a day or more notice and no refund inside that window. The listing also states the operator can cancel for bad weather or insufficient travelers, with a refund in that case. Because the cutoff is a hard 24 hours, book a slot that leaves a day of slack in your Siena plans.
What to confirm with the operator
The listing prints no start time, no return time, no minimum age and no wheelchair information. Message the operator before booking and get the departure time, the meeting instructions at Porta Romana, and any child policy in writing. Also ask which truffle species are realistically being hunted on your dates, because the prized white truffle has a legal Tuscan season from 1 October to 15 January, and outside that window a hunt finds summer truffle, bianchetto or other black varieties.
Nobody can promise a white truffle on any given walk. Our white versus black truffle guide explains the difference.
What to wear in the woods
The listing asks for moderate fitness and says nothing about footwear, so use the general rule for Tuscan woods walks: closed walking shoes with grip, long trousers, and layers by season. You will be on uneven ground for over an hour. Read the season-by-season advice in the truffle seasons in Tuscany guide.
Reaching Porta Romana without a car
This is the easiest meeting point of any listing in this comparison. Porta Romana sits on the edge of Siena's walled center, so if you are sleeping in Siena you walk there. The listing confirms public transportation options are available nearby for anyone coming in from outside the walls.
No parking, taxi fare or train connection is specified in the listing, so if you are driving from elsewhere, arrange central Siena parking yourself and allow time to walk to the gate.
Step by Step Itinerary
The stages below follow the operator's own description. The listing gives no clock times, so start times are left blank and you confirm yours when booking.
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Meet in front of Porta Romana
The group assembles at the Porta Romana gate in Siena. No vehicle is used at any point, so arrive on foot. The tour ends back at the same gate area.
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Walk out to the woods with Alessandro and the dogs
Alessandro, his assistant and the three dogs lead the group from the gate toward the hunting grounds outside the walls.
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The dogs work the ground
The dogs search while Alessandro answers questions as the group walks. Licensed Tuscan hunters may work with a maximum of two dogs at a time under regional rules, so expect the dogs to take turns.
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Dig and extract a truffle
When a dog starts digging, the group comes closer and Alessandro teaches you how to extract a truffle from the ground. By law digging is allowed only at the spot the dog indicates.
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About 1 hour 20 minutes of hunting in total
The walk and the questions run for about an hour and 20 minutes of the 2-hour experience.
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Truffle tasting at the shop
The group meets at Alessandro's shop for the tasting: truffle sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano, olives, mushrooms, chickpeas, pecorino, truffle oil, balsamic vinegar and truffle salami, plus more. This fills the remaining time.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of this listing against the others in the comparison.
What we genuinely like
- The only meeting point inside a city: Porta Romana is walkable from central Siena, so no car and no taxi are needed
- Owner-led: Alessandro has hunted for 25 years and guides personally, with his own three dogs
- Small group capped at 8 travelers, tighter than the 12 to 14 caps on the San Miniato and Castelnuovo listings
- A stated 1 hour 20 minutes of actual hunting, longer than the roughly 1 hour of hunt time on most lunch-inclusive listings
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, unlike the all-sales-final San Miniato and Florence day listings
- A tasting of a wide printed spread including Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino, truffle salami and truffle oil
The honest downsides
- No lunch and no seated meal, only a standing tasting, at $163.72
- No transport is included and the listing is silent on hotel pickup, so this works only if you are already in Siena
- No start time is printed in the listing, so you must confirm it with the operator
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers and moderate fitness is required, with no easier format offered
- No minimum age or wheelchair information is stated, so families with very small children cannot confirm suitability from the listing alone
- Nobody can promise a white truffle, and outside the 1 October to 15 January legal season the dogs find other species
Who it's NOT for: Not for travelers who want a sit-down truffle lunch, a door-to-door transfer, or a guaranteed white truffle on the day.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the Siena Tartufi truffle hunt cost?
The listed price is $163.72 per person for the 2-hour shared experience. For context on how that compares with hunts elsewhere in the region, see the Tuscany truffle hunting comparison.
Do I need a car to reach the meeting point?
No. The group meets on foot in front of the Porta Romana gate in Siena and the listing states that public transportation options are available nearby. If you would rather have a listing with transfers, read the Florence day trip with van transport.
Is lunch included?
No, only a truffle tasting with products like truffle sauce, pecorino and truffle salami at the operator's shop. If you want a full meal built in, compare the San Miniato hunt with a three-course lunch.
What dogs does Alessandro hunt with?
He hunts with three of his own dogs: Moka and Freddie, both Lagotto Romagnolo, and Pepita, a black Labrador. To understand the breed and how the dogs are trained, see the truffle hunting dogs guide.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled start for a full refund, with no refund inside that window. The operator can also cancel for bad weather or insufficient travelers, and you can review the other San Miniato tasting-only listing for a similar free-cancellation format.
Will we find white truffles?
Not necessarily. The prized white truffle has a legal Tuscan season from 1 October to 15 January, and no hunter can promise a find on a given walk. Outside that window the dogs hunt summer truffle, bianchetto or black varieties, as explained in the white versus black truffle guide.
Is this hunt suitable for children or pregnant travelers?
The listing recommends at least moderate fitness and does not recommend the experience for pregnant travelers, and it states no minimum age. Ask the operator in writing before booking, or read how the Volterra hunt near Peccioli spells out its own access rules.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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