“BRAVA, Chicca!” our guide shouts as his pooch digs up a hunk of mushroom from beneath the earth.
Truffle-hunting is not the usual start to an Italian mini-break, but five minutes in and I’m fully invested in our hunt, accompanied by Tino and his expert dog.
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I follow intensely as Chicca picks up a scent then starts furiously digging with her paws.
She has found a large white truffle, which in this part of Italy is considered more valuable than gold.
I was holidaying in the Piedmont region, at the foot of the Alps near the borders of France and Switzerland, where you’ll find truffles on nearly every restaurant menu — if you don’t smell them first.
Our white one was worth around £100 and would make the perfect topping for our dinner.
And when it does come to dinner, there are plenty of places to choose from in this region.
It’s definitely worth sampling the pasta if you’re in Piedmont’s capital city Turin.
One of the oldest restaurants here, Porto di Savona has been serving pasta since 1863 and the walls above its staircase are plastered with pictures of celebrities who have dined here.
Despite what the celeb snaps may have you think, the traditional grub is very affordable and attracts a local crowd.
Expect homemade gnocchi with Gorgonzola cheese for around a tenner or tagliatelle with wild boar ragout for a tad more.
When the waiter asks if I would like truffle to accompany my agnolotti stuffed with beef, I am thrilled to tell him I have my own, found fresh that very morning.
He does not seem remotely surprised, probably because these mushrooms are such a highlight of Piedmont.
But they are not the only thing this beautiful region is famous for.
Turin, where I was staying, is also a haven for coffee lovers as it is where businessman Angelo Moriondo patented the first known espresso machine in 1884.
It is also home to much of the Italian automotive industry, hosting Fiat and Alfa Romeo’s HQs.
If that’s not enough, panna cotta and Barolo wine are both also Piedmont exports.
But most importantly — in my opinion, at least — this city was the backdrop for 1969 British film The Italian Job, the comedy caper about a gang of English crooks who plot to steal four million dollars worth of gold bullion.
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Famous car chase
As we walk through the streets it all looks familiar to me — so much so that I expect Michael Caine, the film’s lead star, to come speeding around the corner in a Mini Cooper.
It is at one of the city’s biggest palaces, Palazzo Madama, that the movie buff in me gets really excited though — its colossal grand staircase played a starring role in the movie.
It is hard to imagine how the film’s makers convinced the Italians to let them speed cars down the marble stairs, making for perhaps the most famous car chase in British film history.
This isn’t the city’s only nod to film, though. The National Museum of Cinema inside the Mole Antonelliana tower (£12, museocinema.it/en) is packed with incredible exhibitions focusing on the works of Italian filmmakers and directors.
Although, we’re mainly here to take in the views from its roof, which are unbeatable on a sunny day.
Boarding a glass elevator, we take an amazing, and slightly terrifying, short ride through the centre of the building until we reach the clouds, where we’re able to drink in panoramic views.
It looks breathtaking when the sun is shining on the city, flanked by the tall and craggy mountains. But everything here looks just as spec-tacular during winter months, especially when the Luci d’Artista, Turin’s annual lights festival, takes places.
After dark on almost every street, you will come across installations created by contemporary artists that light up the city’s squares, churches and monuments in flashes of colour.
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Like in Rome or Venice, Turin’s landmarks have cultural significance — but unlike these cities, it doesn’t have the crush of thousands of tourists wherever you go.
And as the locals will tell you, everything good that is Italian was invented by the Piemontesi — so why would you go anywhere else?
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