One of the most exciting moments of the Zigante Truffle Days is the truffle hunting demonstration, during which visitors enter the very heart of the Motovun Forest, the world’s largest habitat for these highly prized mushrooms, which stretches along the valleys of the Mirna and Botonega rivers.

Demonstration exercises were a real attraction even in the distant past. Numerous chronicles bring stories and records about noblemen who organized truffle hunting and participated in it. Participating in this exciting search, even as a spectator, meant surrendering to a unique experience and understanding of nature, which stands true even today.

Truffle hunting is a special type of skill that requires exceptional attention, a good memory, extensive experience, and excellent familiarity with every corner of the forest and every centimeter of land. One of the basic rules for every good truffle hunter is never to reveal the place where the precious tuber was found. This is precisely why truffle hunters go searching exclusively in the company of their inseparable friends, their hunting dogs. Truffle hunting is done early in the morning, but also at night, not only to hide from prying eyes, but also because the moisture intensifies the smells of the earth as it descends and makes truffle hunting easier.