Giuseppe Santovito Mario Aprile
White truffle searcher
Mario Aprile was born in 1965. He is the president of the White Truffle of Alba Association; an association that gathers over 100 people but only 2 women.
He got the passion from his mother; a passion that he continues every season. According to him it is very important to find a balance between rain, humidity and sun to have good truffles. The truffle is in poor soils where there are trees such as oaks, white poplars, limes and hazel. In search of truffles lunar cycles are just as important as the dog and the training.
The interview was conducted by Jacqueline Cavazza, Valeria Dogliotti and Odile Pécoud as part of a ethnobiological research coordinated by prof. Andrea Pieroni at the University of Gastronomic Sciences.
Video table of contents
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Piemonte
City: Alba
District: CN
Altitude: 172m s.l.m.
Mario Aprile
Year: 1965
Languages: Italiano
Document by: Luca Percivalle
Video by: Jacqueline Cavazza, Valerio Dogliotti, Odile Pécout
Created: 07-06-2011
Questo video fa parte del seguente archivio
The white truffle
The white truffle
The archive investigates white truffles, known for their taste and frivolous aspects, but not for their cultural characteristics which plasmed generations of truffle hunters. The research presents a substrate of knowledge documented through dozens of interviews: historical and anthropological elements, rituals and myths on this prized fungus, still considered nowadays a nocturnal mystery. The project was promoted by the University of Gastronomic Sciences, l’Athe National Association “Città del Tartufo”, the national centre for truffle research and the Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation.
