Black and white truffle hunter

The photographs on display tell an epic tale, that of the truffle hunters who, in the 1960s and 1970s, were led by Giacomo Morra, owner of the Hotel Savona, by Cavalier Ponzio in his shop on Via Maestra, and by other merchants who roamed the streets in search of the precious magnatum pico, then abundant, plentiful, and intensely fragrant. During the Alba Truffle Fair, the trifolao gathered in the Maddalena courtyard: a lively, pulsating market, as crowded as a village festival. Faces marked by time, wrinkled, expert hands, bags brimming with the earth's treasures, large and small, offered to the highest bidder, amid glances, gestures, and silences filled with understanding. It was a celebration that often continued around a lavishly laid table in restaurants, after the bargain, amid the scent of truffles and the warmth of wine. These images hold a profound emotion: they are our history, our still-living fairytale, the pride of men and dogs who, together, maintain their enchantment intact. The photographs will be added, along with objects, memories, and other stories, to the Mudet in Alba, completing the story of this land and its men with calloused hands and loyal hearts. Bruno Murialdo: " The temporary exhibitions complement the Truffle Museum's narrative and create new reasons to visit. Murialdo's beautiful photographs allow us to remember characteristic trifolao of the past and to capture the differences from today in their way of dressing and faces marked by country life, but also the continuity in their expressions of curiosity, cunning, and affection for their dogs." Antonio Degiacomi