San Miniato Truffle Festival 2026: A Day Trip from Florence

Official poster of the 55th Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco. Courtesy Fondazione San Miniato Promozione

For three weekends every November, the hill town of San Miniato turns itself over to the white truffle. The 55th Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco delle Colline Sanminiatesi runs November 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29, 2026, and it is one of the easiest food day trips you can make from Florence - about 40 minutes by train, no admission charge, and nothing to plan beyond showing up hungry.

What the fair is

This is not a fair in a fairground. The whole historic center takes part: the stands spread across the piazzas and under the loggias, local associations open temporary restaurants in convents and refectories, and the museums and churches put on exhibitions. You walk in and stroll from one piazza to the next, tasting and buying as you go. The truffle hunters of the San Miniato hills sell directly to the public, so this is also the place to buy a fresh white truffle from the person who dug it up.

2026 dates

• Saturday and Sunday, November 14-15
• Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22
• Saturday and Sunday, November 28-29

The fair opens on Saturday, November 14, with a ceremony at 10 a.m. in the Auditorium Crédit Agricole in Piazza Buonaparte, a historical parade through the center at 11:30 a.m. and the ribbon-cutting in Piazza del Popolo at 1:30 p.m.

Where to find what

• Piazza del Popolo - the white truffle stands. Start here.
• Loggiati di San Domenico - farmers' market, wine producers with tastings and sales, and Slow Food events.
• Piazza della Repubblica - local food products and tastings.
• Piazzetta del Bastione - the truffle workshop, with chef cooking shows and talks.
• Piazza Buonaparte - the main stage, in the Auditorium Crédit Agricole.
• Piazza Mazzini and Via Vittime del Duomo - arts and crafts market, Sundays only.
• Piazza Dante - the shuttle stop and the usual way into the fair.

Worth timing your visit around

• Truffle hunting demonstration - Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m., with Lagotto dogs, in the area above the Loggiati di Piazza Dante.
• Cooking shows - Tuscan chefs cook at Piazzetta del Bastione, typically at noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. These are ticketed and seats are limited.
• MuTart, the truffle museum - Via IV Novembre 20, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on fair weekends.
• Awards ceremony - Sunday, November 29, from 6 p.m. at Piazzetta del Bastione, closing the fair.

What it costs

Walking the fair is free. You pay for what you eat, drink and buy. The cooking shows and a few guided tours are ticketed or need a reservation, and some of the exhibitions around town charge a small entry fee while others are free.

Eating at the fair

Beyond the stands, local associations run sit-down lunches and dinners in some atmospheric rooms - the refectory of the Convent of San Francesco and the Conservatorio di Santa Chiara among them. Truffle is on everything: tagliolini, eggs, crostini. Tables fill quickly at Sunday lunch, so eat early or late, or graze from the stands instead.

Getting there from Florence

By train: regional trains run direct from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to San Miniato-Fucecchio in about 40 minutes, on the Florence-Pisa line. The station is down in San Miniato Basso, below the old town. On fair weekends a shuttle bus connects the station with Piazza Dante in the historic center. See our guide to trains from Florence for tickets and how regional trains work.

By car: take the FI-PI-LI expressway toward Pisa and exit at San Miniato. Private vehicles are not allowed into the historic center during the fair. A shuttle bus runs from Via Boujdour up to Piazza Dante, with the first departure at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

San Miniato is steep and cobbled, and late November is cold and often damp, so dress for a day outdoors. For more ideas outside the city, see our day trips from Florence.