Truffle Hunter

What Truffle Hunter does

Truffle Hunter is a Florence, Italy-based experiential tourism operator specializing in truffle hunting tours, cooking classes, and wine tasting experiences in the San Miniato region of Tuscany. Founded in 2000 by Vittorio Del Bono Venezze and operated through the licensed travel agency Italy and Tour Sas (P.IVA 05964180482), the company runs both shared small-group tours (max 8-12 guests) and private tours priced between €160 and €250 per person. Its core product is a guided truffle hunt in Tuscan forests using professionally trained Lagotto Romagnolo dogs (Choco, Cioco, Levante, Luna), followed by traditional truffle-based meals and, in some packages, Chianti Classico winery visits.

The company's underlying technology is biological rather than digital: a team of trained Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dogs and experienced hunters led by Francesca Starnotti (whose family has been in the truffle trade since 1882) and Valter Franchini. Operations are anchored at Francesca's family estate, Fattoria Collebrunacchi, a XVII-century villa in San Miniato — the region that supplies nearly 80% of the world's white truffles. Online booking is handled through trufflehunter.net with a 30% deposit model and tiered cancellation terms.

Truffle Hunter sells directly to international tourists visiting Florence and Tuscany, segmented into general culinary travelers, food and wine enthusiasts, and special-occasion bookers (honeymoons, milestone birthdays, post-wedding groups). Revenue is highly seasonal, with October-December white truffle season as the peak period, and the company employs approximately 5 people with no external funding or institutional ownership. Customer acquisition relies on direct website traffic, organic content (truffle education blog), and review-driven discovery on TripAdvisor, Google Business, and Yelp.

Name

Truffle Hunter

Legal name

Italy and Tour Sas di Vittorio Del Bono Venezze

Website

https://trufflehunter.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Truffle Hunter is a Florence-based experiential tour operator offering truffle hunting, cooking classes, and wine tasting in San Miniato, Tuscany, using trained Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, serving international tourists and special-occasion travelers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Tourism & Experiential Tours

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Culinary Walking & Market Tours (THAJAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist) (THAAALAE), Food, Market & Culinary Culture Tours (THAJAAAG)

Keywords

• Truffle hunting tours
• Culinary tourism experiences
• Tuscan wine tasting
• Italian cooking classes
• Experiential food tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Truffle Hunting Tours: Direct tour bookings for truffle hunting experiences in Tuscan woods with trained dogs. Customers pay per person for shared or private tours including truffle hunting, meals, and sometimes wine tasting. Prices range from €160 to €250 per person.
2. Truffle Cooking Classes: Cooking classes teaching participants how to prepare truffle-based dishes. Includes hunting experience plus 2-hour cooking lesson and meal.
3. Transportation Services: Optional chauffeur services offered for €250 (up to 3 people) or €300 (up to 8 people) for transport from Florence to San Miniato.
4. Booking Deposits: 30% deposit required at booking confirmation for most tours, with balance due 2 days before tour date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Truffle Hunter is a Florence-based experiential tourism operator offering guided truffle hunting tours in San Miniato (Tuscany) using trained Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, combined with traditional Tuscan meals featuring freshly hunted truffles, Chianti Classico wine tastings, and truffle cooking classes. The company sells shared (small group) and private tour experiences booked directly through its website, with optional transportation from Florence.

Product overview

Truffle Hunter is a Tuscany-based truffle hunting tour operator offering experiences centered around truffle hunting with trained Lagotto Romagnolo dogs. The company operates two categories of tours: Shared Experiences (small-group tours with up to 8-12 attendees) and Private Experiences (exclusive tours for personal groups). Shared products include the Truffle Hunting & Wine Tasting Tour (€250), Truffle Cooking Class (€235), and San Miniato Truffle Hunting With Lunch (€160). Private products include Truffle Hunting and Wine Tasting Tour (€230), Tuscan Truffle Hunting Tour (€220), and Truffle Hunting & Luxury 3-Course Lunch (€250). All experiences feature hunting in San Miniato forests, meals featuring fresh truffles, and some include wine tastings at Chianti Classico wineries. Founded in 2000, the company is managed by Vittorio Del Bono Venezze with truffle hunters Francesca Starnotti and Valter Franchini.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truffle Hunting & Wine Tasting Tour (Shared) A 7-hour small-group experience (max 8 people) combining truffle hunting with trained Lagotto Romagnolo dogs in Tuscan forests, followed by a wine tasting at a Chianti Classico organic winery and a multi-course truffle-based meal, with round-trip minivan transportation from Florence. Priced from €250 per person.
• Truffle Cooking Class (Shared) A 4-hour small-group experience (max 8 attendees) featuring a truffle hunting stroll with an expert hunter and dog, followed by a 2-hour cooking lesson teaching preparation of truffle dishes, culminating in a meal featuring fresh truffles. Priced at €235 per person.
• San Miniato Truffle Hunting With Lunch (Shared) A shared tour experience at Francesca's family XVII-century villa in San Miniato, featuring woodland truffle hunting with expert guidance and a 3-course truffle-based lunch. Small groups of up to 12 attendees. Priced from €160 per person.
• Truffle Hunting and Wine Tasting Tour (Private) A 7-hour private guided tour combining truffle hunting in San Miniato woods with a visit to a Chianti Classico winery, featuring wine and olive oil tastings led by a sommelier and a traditional 3-course Tuscan meal. Priced from €230 per person.
• Tuscan Truffle Hunting Tour (Private) A private tour with round-trip air-conditioned minivan transportation from Florence, featuring exclusive truffle hunting in San Miniato woods with a professional hunter and trained dog, followed by a light 2-course lunch at a Tuscan farmhouse, with optional visit to San Miniato's International Truffle Fair. Priced from €220 per person (2+ people).
• Truffle Hunting & Luxury 3-Course Lunch (Private) A private 3-hour truffle hunting experience at Fattoria Collebrunacchi in San Miniato, featuring woodland truffle hunting with an expert and dog, followed by a luxury 3-course lunch including appetizers, tagliolini al tartufo, meat or eggs with truffles, and dessert with Vin Santo wine. Priced from €250 per person (based on 8 pax).

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 80% of world's white truffles come from San Miniato region where Truffle Hunter operates

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Italy and Tour SascoreOthersItaly and Tour Sas is the legal entity owning the Truffle Hunter brand. Operated by Vittorio Del Bono Venezze since 2004, it is a fully licensed and insured Italy-based travel agency. Address: Corso dei Tintori 13 - 50122 Florence, P.IVA 05964180482.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Walks of Italy: Larger, established tour operator offering a wide portfolio of Italy guided experiences including food and wine tours. Overlaps with Truffle Hunter's culinary walking tour niche but operates a much broader portfolio.
• GetYourGuide: Large global online marketplace for tours, attractions, and experiences with a strong Italy/Florence offering. Compares as a primary distribution and competitor channel for Truffle Hunter's tour products.
• Viator: Major global online tour and experience marketplace (Tripadvisor-owned) distributing Florence and Tuscany food/wine tours. Comparable on customer overlap and as a distribution channel/competitive substitute.

Direct peers

• Eating Italy Food Tours: Leading Italian food tour brand offering guided culinary experiences in multiple Italian cities. Directly comparable as an experiential, small-group Italian food tour focused on international tourists.
• Divina Cucina: Italian culinary experience operator specializing in small-group market visits, cooking classes, and food culture tours. Comparable to Truffle Hunter's culinary walking and cooking class offerings.
• Italy and Wine: Sister brand also founded by Vittorio Del Bono Venezze in 2004, offering exclusive wine-focused tours in Tuscany. Shares the same founder, target customer (Tuscan culinary tourists), and operational model, making it a closely related peer.
• Florence Food Tours: Florence-based food tour operator offering small-group culinary walking experiences across the city and Tuscan countryside. Directly competes with Truffle Hunter for the same international culinary-tourist segment visiting Florence.

Emerging players

• Withlocals: Tour marketplace connecting travelers with local hosts for private and small-group food and cultural experiences. Comparable for its marketplace-style distribution of culinary tours and small-group format.
• Cookly: Online marketplace aggregating cooking classes and culinary experiences across multiple countries. Compares on the truffle cooking class offering and serves the same experiential culinary tourist, with a much broader marketplace model.

Others

• Urbani Tartufi: Italy-based truffle specialist company founded in 1850, operating B2B truffle product distribution and retail. Compares on truffle category expertise and brand prestige, though not a tour operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truffle-hunter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Truffle Hunter