White Truffle Sells for €100,000 at International Auction in Italy

An 850-gram white truffle fetched €100,000 at the 27th World Truffle Auction in Alba, near Turin in Italy’s Piedmont region, with a buyer from Hong Kong securing the prized fungus.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the auction also featured a second lot, a 300-gram truffle initially sold for €12,000. However, after the original buyer declined to complete the purchase, a local businessman acquired it for €14,000.

Roberto Bondritto, regional president of Enoteca Piemonte Cavour, said drought had affected this year’s truffle harvest, although recent rainfall had helped the season recover.

“This year, truffles have suffered somewhat from the drought. Thanks to recent rainfall, the season now appears to be recovering, and we hope the end of the year will bring more favourable conditions for truffles. For now, we have some very beautiful specimens,” he told AFP.

Bondritto also highlighted the auction’s growing international reach.

“Never before has this auction had such an international character: four new venues, nine interconnected cities… A truly global auction like never before,” he added.

The annual event continues to expand its international participation. The 27th edition welcomed Brasília, London, Macau and Vilnius, alongside regular participants including Hong Kong, Bangkok and Vienna.

The proceeds from the auctions always go to charitable organisations in Italy and abroad. Since the first auction in 1999, organisers have raised approximately €7.2 million to support projects including a hospital in Africa, the social reintegration of young people recovering from drug addiction and education for children living in Brazilian favelas.

At the 2025 auction, organisers raised €502,000, with a 1,009-gram white truffle fetching €110,000 from a Hong Kong buyer.

Highly prized by food enthusiasts and Michelin-starred chefs around the world, the Alba white truffle ranks among the world’s most sought-after culinary delicacies.

Known scientifically as Tuber magnatum Pico, the white truffle is an underground fungus that grows alongside certain trees, attaching itself to their roots.

It thrives in cool, moist soil during both its growth and maturation stages.

(Source: Ta Nea)

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