In cities all over France, there is a variant of the US Welcome Wagons called the AVF. They are wonderful volunteer-led associations that create programming in culture, sport, language and technology with the aim of bringing newcomers and more long-term residents together. They are unparalleled as source of local information and new friends.

After several years living in Nice, I decided to join to have more opportunities to speak French at length, meet more Niçois of varying nationalities and maybe learn something new about my home city. My first AVF outing was last week, to a truffle farm in the rolling hills outside Nice. And what a delightful day it was.

Thanks to an offer of “covoiturage” (ride-sharing), I joined a French couple, an Italian man and a single French woman in a small car for the 45 minute ride. Every time the French driver pulled a less-than-legal maneuver to negotiate the twisty road, the Italian raised his fists and exclaimed “Bravo!” It happened four times, so his day was made.

Mine was made when we arrived at the farm and I saw the truffle dogs. They were of the Lagotto Romagnolo breed and peerless sniffers and diggers. After almost going extinct, these Italian water dogs were bred to work as hunters of all kinds, and have now become a very popular breed all over Europe.

The farmer told us all about truffles: how to farm them, how the quality varies and how the dogs are trained. Then he led us down a few paths among the planted oak trees and let the dogs sniff the earth to find and dig out the fungus. By the end of the stroll, the farmer had a solid dozen of truffles in his pockets. He was supposed to allow us to purchase the product, but that never happened. They must have been good ones, and therefore easy to sell at top euro. I don’t like black truffles myself so I did not mind. What I appreciated was the chance to give the dogs some “câlins,” or cuddles after their labor.

So impressed was I by the AVF experience that I joined the ranks of the bénévoles (volunteers). Starting January 2025, I will host a monthly photography critique for beginners. So far, ten members have signed up, double the number I was aiming for. Now I have to count on my French to be sufficient to the task so as not to embarrass myself.