{"id":906985,"date":"2026-10-08T10:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/906985\/2026-truffle-fair-axel-iberti-tells-the-story\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T12:47:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T10:47:47","slug":"2026-truffle-fair-axel-iberti-tells-the-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/906985\/2026-truffle-fair-axel-iberti-tells-the-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Truffle Fair 2026: Axel Iberti recounts the “Authentic Relations” between Alba and the territory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 96th International White Truffle Fair of Alba<\/a> will unfold across nine weeks of events<\/strong>, experiences, culture and folklore<\/strong>, once again placing the Tuber Magnatum at the center of a narrative that goes well beyond the product<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

The theme chosen for 2026 is “Authentic Relations<\/strong>“: those between man and nature, between trifolao and forest, between city and territory, between the Langhe and the rest of the world. <\/p>\n\n

Leading the Fair Authority since the beginning of 2025 is Axel Iberti<\/strong>, from Alba, born in 1979, with a professional path that has crossed communication<\/strong>, tourism<\/strong>, design<\/strong> and management<\/strong>. Elected president in January 2025, Iberti indicated from the outset among his priorities the international opening of the event<\/strong> and a broader role for the Authority in promoting the territory<\/strong> throughout the year. <\/p>\n\n

We had a conversation about the Fair and what idea of territory<\/strong> lies behind this year’s program<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

We are at the 96th edition of the International White Truffle Fair of Alba. What are the main new features the public will find this autumn? <\/h4>\n\n

AXEL<\/strong> \u2014 More than a single new feature, what we are trying to do is build an increasingly complete experience<\/strong>. The White Truffle of Alba naturally remains at the center, but around it we want to create occasions for knowledge<\/strong>, encounter<\/strong> and discovery<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The World Market<\/a> presents itself in renewed form, with formats that allow greater contact with cuisine<\/strong>, wine<\/strong> and the people<\/strong> who recount them.<\/p>\n\n

Different formulas, which have a common element<\/strong>: reducing the distance between those who possess expertise and those who wish to approach that world<\/strong>. We do not want only to display excellence, but to give people the tools<\/strong> to know it. <\/p>\n\n

The theme chosen this year is “Authentic Relations.” What does this mean concretely? <\/h4>\n\n

AXEL \u2014<\/strong> It means first of all placing people back at the center<\/strong> and the places in which the truffle is born and reveals itself<\/strong>. The first protagonists are the trifolao. The Truffle New Year<\/strong>, which we wanted to bring to the square for the second consecutive year<\/strong>, was born precisely from this idea: nearly 200 trifolao and tabui<\/strong> from Piedmont gathered in Alba to begin the hunting season<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Alba is recognized internationally as the capital of the truffle, but this leadership has meaning precisely because behind it there is a community that safeguards a knowledge<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

The work of the trifolao is not limited to hunting: there is the care of the forest<\/strong>, the cleaning, the planting<\/strong> of trees, the transmission of knowledge<\/strong> from one generation to the next. The Alba trifolao association alone has planted over a thousand trees in recent years. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

It means doing environmental education from below<\/strong>, protecting biodiversity and contributing concretely to countering soil erosion<\/strong> and climate change<\/strong>. The authentic relation, in the end, begins precisely there: without a healthy environment<\/strong>, the truffle simply does not exist. <\/p>\n\n

The World White Truffle Market also changes face. In what way? <\/h4>\n\n

AXEL<\/strong> \u2014 The Market remains the heart of the Fair, but we want it to be increasingly less perceived as a simple place of purchase. Around the truffle there are moreover the other great agri-food productions of the territory<\/strong>: cheeses, hazelnuts, wines, cured meats, sweets. The Fair wants to recount the entire supply chain. <\/p>\n\n

There is then a fundamental theme, that of trust. Every truffle offered within the Market is controlled by the Quality Commission<\/strong> and by the judges of the National Truffle Study Center<\/strong>. It is work often invisible to the visitor, but decisive: it means guaranteeing freshness<\/strong>, quality and authenticity, offering the consumer a place in which to purchase the White Truffle of Alba with awareness. <\/p>\n\n

Brunches, tastings, courses and direct encounters with chefs: are you trying to transform the visit to the Fair into something more participatory?<\/h4>\n\n

AXEL<\/strong><\/strong> \u2014 Yes, the point is precisely to create connections<\/strong> and break down certain barriers<\/strong>. The role of the chef, the sommelier or the expert must continue to be valued, naturally, but we can at the same time shorten the distance with the enthusiast<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

“Face to Face with the Chef,” for example, was born as a deliberately very intimate experience<\/strong>, in which one enters the kitchen, observes techniques and ingredients and can dialogue directly with the chef. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The same applies to wine. The Vinum Alba Wine Tastings are not designed only for experts: there are paths dedicated to Piedmontese grape varieties<\/strong>, to the territories of Nebbiolo, to Barolo, to Alta Langa and even blind tastings. <\/p>\n\n

The Fair must also be able to be a guide<\/strong>: someone enters already knowing much about wine and gastronomy, someone else is beginning. We must manage to speak to both. <\/p>\n\n

In the Truffle and Wine project this year also arrives the comparison between Barolo and Rioja. How much does dialogue with other great wine regions matter to you? <\/h4>\n\n

AXEL \u2014 It is fundamental, because comparison enriches. We have no fear of placing our excellence alongside that of other great international territories<\/strong>. On the contrary, it is precisely in this way that culture is created. This year the dialogue reaches as far as Rioja<\/strong>, after in past years the project has involved realities such as Champagne, Burgundy, California, Etna and Alto Adige. <\/p>\n\n

I imagine the Fair as a sort of long cultural broadcast<\/strong>. The narrative begins already in spring with Vinum, continues during the year and finds in the autumn of the Fair its most intense moment<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

The truffle is an extraordinary ambassador<\/strong>, but it allows opening conversations about wine, about cuisine, about landscape, about culture and about the entire agri-food supply chain<\/strong>. And it is significant that in last year’s gastronomic experiences 70% of participants came from abroad: the international dimension is no longer accessory, it is part of the identity of the event. <\/p>\n\n

The Fair continues to have also a strongly popular soul. How do you hold together this aspect with haute cuisine and the international public? <\/h4>\n\n

AXEL \u2014 It is a duality that must be preserved<\/strong>. On one side we have starred chefs, exclusive events and visitors who arrive from all over the world; on the other there are the villages, the folklore, the squares and a community that lives the Fair as part of its own identity<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

One dimension must not cancel the other. On the contrary, I believe that precisely their coexistence makes this event unique. <\/p>\n\n

There are the Baccanale dei Borghi, the markets<\/strong>, the events<\/strong> in the squares and a program designed also for families. Alba Truffle Bimbi, for example, proposes workshops<\/strong> and dedicated activities<\/strong> for the youngest on themes of nature, territory and creativity, with great attention to manual skills<\/strong> and to the environment<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Climate change is however a very concrete threat to the future of the White Truffle. What can be done, beyond raising awareness? <\/h4>\n\n

AXEL \u2014 It is necessary to intervene on the territory<\/strong>, and that is what is happening. <\/p>\n\n

Tuber Next Gen goes precisely in this direction<\/strong>, involving the Region, experts and local administrations. There is talk of new truffle grounds<\/strong>, forest management, agroforestry, nurseries and technical assistance for the care of natural and cultivated truffle grounds. <\/p>\n\n

There are Municipalities that are investing in public truffle grounds<\/strong> and projects in which children are also involved, called to adopt and plant truffle-bearing trees. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful ways to explain that the protection of the truffle concerns<\/strong> also the generations that will come after us. <\/p>\n\n

The Fair bears the name of Alba, but how much does it truly manage to distribute its effects across the rest of the territory?<\/h4>\n\n

AXEL<\/strong> \u2014 Alba is the collector, but at the same time it must be a platform for relaunching the entire territory<\/strong>. Over the span of nine weeks we speak of over 600,000 people<\/strong> who arrive in the area and nearly 100,000 paying visitors to the World Market. <\/p>\n\n

It is evident that not all remain within the city<\/strong>: they move, visit wineries and restaurants, stay overnight, discover the towns of the Langhe<\/strong>, of Roero<\/strong> and of Monferrato<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The economic figures also help to understand the scope of the phenomenon. The study presented at Bocconi quantified at approximately 43 million euros the economic impact<\/strong> direct and indirect of the event on the province of Cuneo<\/strong> alone. <\/p>\n\n

According to the data illustrated by the Authority, every euro invested in the Fair generates an economic value<\/strong> much broader on the territory. We are therefore not speaking only of a great gastronomic event, but of a tourist and economic engine<\/strong> that involves hospitality, dining, commerce, crafts and services. <\/p>\n\n

If you had to indicate a moment capable, alone, of recounting the most authentic spirit of the Fair, which would you choose?<\/h4>\n\n

AXEL<\/strong> \u2014 The Palio degli Asini. There are more than a thousand volunteers who gather around a common passion for Alba<\/strong> and for its history. It is something that warms the heart and that allows understanding immediately how much the Fair belongs first of all to the city<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Last year we chose to broaden participation and maintain more popular prices precisely to allow the people of Alba also to live it fully<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

This is the challenge: to preserve together the popular soul and the international one<\/strong>, the folklore and the great gourmets, the city’s celebration and the event capable of speaking to the world. It is a duality that was already in the Fair of the origins and that we must continue to safeguard<\/strong>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 96th International White Truffle Fair of Alba will unfold across nine weeks of events, experiences, culture and folklore, once again placing the Tuber Magnatum at the center of a narrative that goes well beyond the product. The theme chosen for 2026 is “Authentic Relations“: those between man and nature, between trifolao and forest, between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":906907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1263],"tags":[1213],"lgarea":[13],"class_list":["post-906985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vacation-ideas","tag-truffles-fair-in-alba","lgarea-lower-langa"],"yoast_head":"\nTruffle Fair 2026 Axel Iberti recounts the "Authentic Relations"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An interview to discover how the Truffle Fair 2026 weaves together tradition, new experiences, sustainability and promotion of the territory.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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Raccontare il mio territorio \u00e8 una tra le mie grandi fortune.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nicolasjrnc","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/roncea\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nicolas-roncea-402a5167\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/nicolasjroncea\/videos"],"url":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/author\/grandiosa-promo\/"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/906907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906985"},{"taxonomy":"lgarea","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lgarea?post=906985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}