Thursday, March 10th. Visited two “towns” and one truffle hunter. The first town was your typical village on a hilltop. Large cobblestones composed the street going up. A few gift shops were open. Spent a long while in one shop that provided samples of truffles, chocolates and liqueurs. The fortress on top was unimposing as forts go, but it had its charm. Marvelous views, though a little hazy. Walking the wall was refreshingly easy. The stroll back down was dominated by focusing on not tripping. Everyone seemed to buy something in the shops. The townfolk seemed thrilled that tourism was coming back.

The next stop was alongside a forest to meet a truffle hunter and his Labrador hunting dog. We all learned a lot about the business of “hunting” truffles. Eventually the dog was set lose and within minutes started digging. The master pushed him away and, using a small shovel, came up with a truffle in seconds. Looked like a blob of dirt. It was an interesting hour.

The next town bills itself as the smallest one in the world, with 30 residents. Named Hum. Great lunch (including truffle pasta). An energetic town guide provided an inspired tour of the local cemetary and chapel, then a really cool small museum, consisting of a reconstructed general store, boot maker shop, pharmacy, schoolroom, etc. We were allowed to touch things! One of the nicest museums I’ve ever visited.

Even though the day consisted of a lot of bus riding, it was an enriching experience. But, I still don’t like truffles.