Fodor's Expert Review Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco

From early October to mid- or late November, Alba hosts an internationally famous truffle fair. Merchants, chefs, and other aficionados of this pungent yet delicious fungus come from all over the world to buy and taste white truffles at the height of their season. The first Sunday of October sees the

Palio degli Asini. a hilarious donkey race, a lampoon of Asti's eminently serious horse race. Tickets to watch this competition between Alba's districts, with riders dressed in medieval garb astride their stubborn beasts, can be hard to get; they go on sale in September.

Hotel and restaurant reservations for October and November should be made well in advance.