Fortunately, locals manage to keep their hearts and bellies warm with the myriad events and festivals taking place this month.

For many towns across the Belpaese, November means festivals dedicated to the harvest of particular seasonal products - such as olive oil and chestnuts - featuring music, entertainment and, most importantly, tastings.

White truffles are one of the culinary gems which are in season during this period, and are celebrated across northern and central Italy throughout November.

Truffles are found primarily in the regions of Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche and down in Molise.

Known as tartufi in Italian, these mushrooms are so rare and unique, they’re a delicacy which literally costs its weight in gold – a few hundred grams can put you out hundreds of dollars!

While black truffles also exist, white truffles are the more sought after of the two.

The most renowned celebration of this delicacy is the Alba White Truffle Show, which runs from early October to late November.

Held in the gourmet capital of Piedmont, Alba’s annual homage to the white truffle allows visitors to soak up the rich flavour and aroma of this local specialty, which is displayed under glass and sold by the gram.

Besides the truffle market and fair, there is lots of entertainment, from live music to food stands and cooking demonstrations in which revered Italian chefs hero the white truffle.

Festivalgoers can also go on a guided truffle hunt in the forests of Alba, accompanied by an expert and a dog that will sniff out some of the area’s illusive gems.

Moncalvo, in the Monferrato area of Piedmont, also has a white truffle fair spanning the last two weekends of October.

Moving south to Tuscany, San Miniato’s White Truffle Fair takes place on the last three weekends of November.

Producing 25 per cent of Italy’s white truffles and home to the world’s largest white truffle (weighing 2,520 kilograms and found in 1954), the area has reason to celebrate!

Visitors flock from far and wide to savour the richness of this product, and taste truffle-based delights, from pasta, preserves and cheese, to salami and oil.

Craft stands and entertainment add to the warm atmosphere, and visitors will have the chance to participate in a truffle hunt.

Meanwhile in the region, San Giovanni d'Asso, near Siena, holds a truffle festival on the second and third weekends of November and is home to a truffle museum which opens to the public on weekends.

A meeting point between Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche and Umbria, the medieval hilltop village of Sant’Agata Feltria hosts a more intimate, yet equally impressive festival in honour of the white truffle across the month of October.

Visitors will be blown away by the fare on offer, from truffle-infused cheese fondue, to truffled veal and gnocchi with truffle.

Acqualagna, the self- proclaimed “truffle capital” of Le Marche, holds its own fair on weekends from late October through the middle of November, while the Umbrian town of Pietralunga holds its Truffle Trade Fair in the middle of October.

In Molise, southernmost region known for white truffles, the town of San Pietro Avellana holds a truffle market on the first weekend of November.

And if you happen to miss the white truffle season, there’s no cause for alarm – come winter in Italy, black truffle festivals will begin to pop up!