Giuseppe Santovito Michele Vigna
The experience of a truffle hunter
Michael Vigna, born in 1931, is a truffle hunter that witnessed the success of white truffle in the world after the Second World War. After the war, he became a worker at FIAT car industry. However, he continued truffle hunting during the night.
The interview presents his experience by highlighting the important contribution made by dogs to the search and the difficult relationship with the owners of the fields as well as with other truffle hunters.
Video table of contents
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Piemonte
City: Cisterna d'Asti
District: AT
Altitude: 350m s.l.m.
Michele Vigna
Date of birth: 10-25-1931
Languages: Dialetto piemontese
Document by: Luca Percivalle, Michele Fontefrancesco
Video by: Remo Schellino
Created: 02-01-2015
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.
