ROAD TRIP!

In a perfect world, we’d be able to invite 50,000 of our closest friends to go on a field trip to Tuscan Romagna. Never mind the gorgeous Italian scenery and the whole amazing Italian food thing. We’d be going specifically to the Al Vecchio Convento (research, you understand) because Matteo, the chef, is a truffle hunter, and together with his dogs, he would guide us on a truffle hunt in the surrounding forests. His dogs, by the way, are Lagotto Romagnolos.

Several dogs can hunt truffles, but Lagottos are the only breed in the world that specialize in tracking down the highly desired tuber. The hunting instinct has been suppressed in the breed, so the dogs aren’t distracted by game.

Back in the day, Lagottos were the companions of the Vallaroli (or “lagotti”), people who worked and hunted in the marshes of the area, and as such, the dogs were more “water dog” than fungus hunter. The dogs watched over boat and homes, but they were also excellent retrievers known to break through ice to swim, under it, and bring back to shore fallen birds. In fact, the Lagotto’s name comes from its original job as a water dog and literally means “lake dog from Romagna,” originating from the Italian word lago, meaning lake.

Over time, the marsh of Comacchio and of Romagna were reduced, and the Vallaroli all but disappeared. The Lagotto Romagnolo gradually lost its function of as a water dog, and began to be specialized as a truffle hunter.

In the event you can make the trip on your own and meet Matteo’s dogs personally, you can find more information about Al Vecchio Convento here