Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Eating In Italy


Rach

Recommended Posts

Rach Newbie

I will be living in Florence, Italy for three months this summer and am concerned about finding food to prepare that I can eat. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the names of resturants, grocerys, ect.?

And it would be helpful if this information was not in Italian! Yes, I know about the website, but that is not really any help when I don't read the language yet!!!

Thanks for any suggestions


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Carriefaith Enthusiast

I've read somewhere on this site that drugstores sell gluten free food in Italy.

jkmunchkin Rising Star

I've heard that Italy is very celiac friendly, but I don't know any specifics. Sorry.

Merika Contributor

All I can say is I went to Italy for a month (Florence too :) ) and got sicker and sicker and sicker. Mind you, this was prediagnosis and we ate pastries for breakfast, pizza for lunch and pasta for supper :o No wonder I could barely leave the flat by the end of it!

There is an incredible fresh foods market in Florence where you can buy all sorts of yummy stuff - fruit, veggies, meats, etc. I've also heard the gluten-free foods are at the pharmacy. And I've heard good things about restaurants - Italy is supposed to be one of the best informed countries regarding celiac.

Let us know how it goes!

Merika

PS. The Italians were all VERY friendly and helpful and lighthearted about me & dh's *atrocious* Italian :D

Rach Newbie

Thanks for all your suggestions. I don't leave until May, but I will be sure to let you know how it goes. :)

Carriefaith Enthusiast
Thanks for all your suggestions. I don't leave until May, but I will be sure to let you know how it goes.
I'd be interested to know how your trip went :) I really want to go to Italy within the next few years.
jkmunchkin Rising Star
I'd be interested to know how your trip went :) I really want to go to Italy within the next few years.

Ditto.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



pattic Rookie

Apparently, celiac disease is very prevalent in Italy and Ireland. I've actually heard that newborns in Italy are automatically tested for celiac disease, so they are very educated and ahead of us! also heard that pharmacy's sell gluten-free food. It may turn out to be the best place to go afterall! Lucky you! :)

floridanative Community Regular

In my support group we had a few members speak about eating out safely abroad. One woman prepared herself with dining cards and learned a few key key Italian phrases and did fine. She only had one restaurant that told her that they were not comfortable feeding her.

The best place we ate in Florence (pre dx) was Aqua Aldue (don't think that's spelled right) but their specialty is a montrous filet mignon that is marinated for 24 hours in fresh blueberry sauce of all things. We were not adventurous enough to try it (we rarely ate red meat before I got anemia) but we were only a handful of people that did not go there just for that dish.

tasha Apprentice

Hi,

I know you said you knew about the Italian website, but it is helpful and you DONT have to speak italian to use it. I can't speak a word and I was able to figure out all I needed...you just print out the restaurants for the regions you will be in, they all will be able to serve you. I went to a few of them and, at all of them, had good experiences. I had good experiences at other restaurants too, dinner was actually pretty easy anywhere if you bring your own pasta and a card explaining the diet in Italian.

Open Original Shared Link

I THINK i went to Il Portale in Florence...I went to one of the ones on the list at least. Anyway I had pizza there that was great.

Print out the gelateria gluten-free places too...a lot of gelato has gluten in it, be careful.

All the Pharmacias with the cross sign lit up have gluten-free food, a lot of it is delicious!

I wouldn't worry too much, people seem to all know about it there, at least that was my experience.

good luck!

Kathy P Newbie
Hi,

I know you said you knew about the Italian website, but it is helpful and you DONT have to speak italian to use it. I can't speak a word and I was able to figure out all I needed...you just print out the restaurants for the regions you will be in, they all will be able to serve you. I went to a few of them and, at all of them, had good experiences. I had good experiences at other restaurants too, dinner was actually pretty easy anywhere if you bring your own pasta and a card explaining the diet in Italian.

Open Original Shared Link

I THINK i went to Il Portale in Florence...I went to one of the ones on the list at least. Anyway I had pizza there that was great.

Print out the gelateria gluten-free places too...a lot of gelato has gluten in it, be careful.

All the Pharmacias with the cross sign lit up have gluten-free food, a lot of it is delicious!

I wouldn't worry too much, people seem to all know about it there, at least that was my experience.

good luck!

(I don't know how to use this message board...help!)

Anyway, to the person who's been to Italk, w/ good luck, w/ Italian website, etc....

I'm going to Rome, Italy.

Are you saying that some restaurants serve gluten-free pasta??? Or, you took your own and they accomodated you?

Thanks!!

tasha Apprentice
(I don't know how to use this message board...help!)

Anyway, to the person who's been to Italk, w/ good luck, w/ Italian website, etc....

I'm going to Rome, Italy.

Are you saying that some restaurants serve gluten-free pasta??? Or, you took your own and they accomodated you?

Thanks!!

I would bring your own gluten free pasta out for dinner with you...every place was accomodating when I did that.

As for the gluten-free restaurants on the Italian website, I would ask the concierge at your hotel to phone and ask what the options for you are there.

  • 1 month later...
Tracy T Newbie
I will be living in Florence, Italy for three months this summer and am concerned about finding food to prepare that I can eat. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the names of resturants, grocerys, ect.?

And it would be helpful if this information was not in Italian! Yes, I know about the website, but that is not really any help when I don't read the language yet!!!

Thanks for any suggestions

Was just there with my celiac partner in November. Go to the tourist office, and ask for the gluten free restaurant guide. They have certified several restaurants as gluten free, and you can get non contaminated pasta and pizza. There's a list in Italian here: Open Original Shared Link

There is also gluten free bread, crackers and such at the pharmacies, and the tourist office also can tell you the health food stores for more options.

The only thing - we got a little sick of Italian food. There aren't a lot of other options.

But Florence is a beautiful city, lots of Michaelangelos, great churches. You can go to Ravenna to see the mosaics, do a day trip to Rome. Wonderful opportunities.

printmaker81 Rookie

Hi Rach,

I lived in Florence for about a year, that was before my dx, so I can't speak to how friendly or educated the italians are about Celiac Disease. If you're going to be there for 3 months, my guess is you're not going to want to be eating out all the time. There is an incredible two story market where you can get any fresh food you want from fruits and veggies to meat and cheese. (Beware of unidentifiable sausages, etc of course). It is near the train station. If you follow Via Sant'Antinino past the Medici Chapel, you will see the large two story building on you're right. It's surrounded by a bunch of street vendors, so you can't miss it. You'll want to make sure to go before noon though while all the vendors are still selling.

There is also a supermarket of sorts where you can get foreign and speciality items. Again, I can't remember the name of it, but it is on a side street off of the Duomo in the direction of the Arno. I know this makes no sense now, but Florence is a very small city, if you wander around, you will almost assuredly find it. Plus, if you don't speak italian, 90% of the people who live in Florence speak some English (kills the foreign experience but helps when you're looking for something). If you're interested, I could give you more specifics, you can message me, and I'll dig out my maps and notes and such and let you know a few more places even, or if you have any other questions; I love Italy, and Florence is a wonderful city.

Buon Viaggio!!

Heather

gfp Enthusiast
muso-mim Newbie

That was odd. I joined this forum to ask EXACTLY the question that you put out. I'm also celiac, and I'm going to be living in Florence for three months, and wanted to know any info people had. I'm going to be there from late Aug to Early Nov 2006. Weird coincidence. Freaked me out for a sec...and what great answers everyone has. You all have no idea how useful it'll be.

Cheers ^_^

  • 4 weeks later...
mxblum Newbie

My family (wife, son and daughter) are all off wheat and we just got back from Italy in January. As others have mentioned, the Italian Celiac site is not hard to understand even for those who speak no Italian, and the list of restaurants is nice. One restaurant we really enjoyed in Florence was Ciro and Sons, right in the heart of the city, near San Lorenzo. They speak English there, which was nice for my wife and kids, who speak no Italian, have great gluten-free pasta dishes, and are just great people. Note: if you're ordering a gluten-free pizza, you MUST do it a day in advance. We learned this the hard way, but my wife and kids still loved the meal. We ate out several times at random restaurants, and never had a problem after I explained the situation. Of course, their first reaction after I explained that, "Mia famiglia non possono mangiare il frumento" (My family can't eat wheat) was that I must be crazy, everything on the menu has wheat. I would then explain what we could eat, and we had not a single problem. However, if you're planning on going to Italy, do yourself a favor and at least learn a few important words and phrases related to Celiac.

We stayed in apartments in Rome and Florence (visit Open Original Shared Link for a nice selection) and had no problem finding markets that had gluten-free pastas and breads in both cities. The pharmacies don't all carry gluten free stuff, but the central pharmacy in Florence, right near the Ponte Vecchio had a decent selection of stuff, including excellent beer (called "76" I recall). I wouldn't make a special trip to the Pharmacia though, since most markets have enough to keep you going. Polenta was a lifesaver, and the store-bought corn pasta was the best pasta I've eaten anywhere, wheat-free or not. One thing we did do was pack nutrition bars for lunch on our long walks in Rome. Florence is so small that if you're staying in the center, you can just stop at your apartment for lunch and then go back out. Anyway, while Italy is certainly "doable" with Celiac, if you take the time to learn just a little Italian, stuff like: "I have Celiac," or "I can't eat wheat but I can eat corn and potatoes" then you should do just fine. Even though there are a lot more people there than here who will know what you mean when you say you have Celiac (Celiachia, pronounced "chee-lee-ah-kee-a" in Italian), most people will not know what you're talking about until you say you can't eat wheat, so be prepared for a little explaining and a few weird reactions at first. Buona fortuna in Italia! You can daydream a little before the trip by visiting Open Original Shared Link

italiana1981 Newbie

I am leaving for Italy this Saturday. I will be there two months. I just started a blog here at celiac.com about my travels. I am gluten/casein free and will be staying with my family.

I am so excited that I will have the support of the message boards while traveling.

This thread has been very helpful, as it seems so many others have travelled successfully.

bklyn Enthusiast

Italiana1981,

I'll be travelling to Italy in September, so I'll be tracking your blog. I'm anxious to hear how easy or difficult it is to eat in Italy. Have a great trip.

DingoGirl Enthusiast

Ahh.....nostalgia....spent half a summer in Italy about 20 years ago.

Anyone remember the name of that famous gelateria in Florence? Vivoli's? Vivace's? Something like that...best gelato in the world, and I should know, we trekked there TWICE a day. Surely most of their gelati should be gluten-free!

Ciao -

Susan

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest domusalessandra

From lovely ITALY

Hi!

I'm Italian and have just subscribed to the forum...

Gluten-free food in Italy is far from being known by many. Sometimes, when you tell somebody "no thanks I can't have it because of..." people stares at you wondering what kind of handicap you have or why taking such a rigorous diet pointless...

HOWEVER, when you go to pharmacies they do should know quite perfectly what you talking about and provide you with a lot of gluten-free products within 24 h. I mean: they normally provide Italian coeliacs with gluten-free products, but this does not mean that they keep them in, rather, you order some and get them the day after.

A bit worse when it's about to it out: in Italy the risk of cross contamination is very very high. Both because gluten could be present in unsuspectable food like jam, and because, of course, the Italian cuisine is wheat based. Many restaurants produce their homemade pasta: imagine clouds of wheat going around in the kitchen. Imagine a cook picking the same tools they have used with sauces containing gluten to stir the gluten-free pasta you have brought about. Actually, that pasta has been surely cooked in the same water as glutenWITH pasta!!!!!

Therefore: stick carefully to the list of restaurants you've been mentioned earlier in the year.

Stick carefully to the handbood of gluten-free products (you can download it from the www.celiachia.it .

Both these services are supplied by the Italian Association of Coeliac. I'm actually one of those "tutors" providing restaurants with info, updates... and checking that those in the AIC list cumply strongly to the rules they were taught by us.

On top of that: should you find not easy to go the restaurants mentioned in the list ASK. Ask the chef, ask the people earlier like neighbours: there could be places which know well what coeliac disease is but for some reasons they are not mentioned in the list. For instance, after diagnosed with celiac disease, I turned my home into a B&B. I'm coeliac, need a 100% gluten-free kitchen and cuisine, so that I ended up providing only gluten-free food to my guests, who are normally coeliacs. I do not fit into the AIC list because the association has not started the gluten-free B&B project yet: only in Piedmont. I'm in Veneto, between Milan and Venice. You see?

Should any of you need any further info on Italy and gluten-free... here I am

Love

FM

Guinevere Newbie
That was odd. I joined this forum to ask EXACTLY the question that you put out. I'm also celiac, and I'm going to be living in Florence for three months, and wanted to know any info people had. I'm going to be there from late Aug to Early Nov 2006. Weird coincidence. Freaked me out for a sec...and what great answers everyone has. You all have no idea how useful it'll be.

Cheers ^_^

====================================================

if you guys are there at the same time, you should look each other up - you could dine gluten free together.

just an idea... :D

DingoGirl Enthusiast
From lovely ITALY

Should any of you need any further info on Italy and gluten-free... here I am

Love

FM

buon giorno, FM, and WELCOME! (ho dimenticato quasi TUTTO l'italiano!) :(

Susan

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to Atl222's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Increased intraepithelial lymphocytes after 10 yrs gluten-free

    2. - Scott Adams replied to Aretaeus Cappadocia's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Brown Rice Vinegar (organic) from Eden Foods is likely gluten free

    3. - Scott Adams replied to wellthatsfun's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      nothing has changed

    4. - Scott Adams commented on knitty kitty's blog entry in Thiamine Thiamine Thiamine
      1

      About Celiac Remission

    5. - Scott Adams replied to TheDHhurts's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,190
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Atl222
    Newest Member
    Atl222
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @Atl222! Yes, your increased lymphocytes could be in response to oats or it could possibly be cross contamination from gluten that is getting into your diet from some unexpected source but not enough to damage the villi. And I'm certain that increased lymphocytes can be caused by other things besides celiac disease or gluten/oats exposure. See attachment. But you might try eliminating oats to start with and possibly dairy for a few months and then seek another endoscopy/biopsy to see if there was a reduction in lymphocyte counts. 
    • Scott Adams
      This is a solid, well-reasoned approach. You’re right that “koji” by itself doesn’t indicate gluten status, and the risk really does come down to which grain is used to culture it. The fact that you directly contacted Eden Foods and received a clear statement that their koji is made from rice only, with no wheat or barley, is meaningful due diligence—especially since Eden has a long-standing reputation for transparency. While the lack of gluten labeling can understandably give pause, manufacturer confirmation like this is often what people rely on for traditionally fermented products. As always, trusting your body after trying it is reasonable, but based on the information you gathered, your conclusion makes sense.
    • Scott Adams
      Seven months can still be early in celiac healing, especially if you were mostly asymptomatic to begin with—symptoms like low iron, vitamin D deficiency, nail changes, and hair issues often take much longer to improve because the gut needs time to recover before absorption normalizes. A tTG-IgA of 69 is not “low” in terms of immune activity, and it can take 12–24 months (sometimes longer) for antibodies and the intestinal lining to fully heal, particularly in teens and young adults. Eating gluten again to “test” things isn’t recommended and won’t give you clear answers—it’s far more likely to cause harm than clarity. Weight not changing is also very common in celiac and doesn’t rule anything out. Please know that your frustration and sadness matter; this adjustment is hard, and feeling stuck can really affect mental health. You deserve support, and if you can, reaching out to a GI dietitian or mental health professional familiar with chronic illness could really help you through this phase. This study indicates that a majority of celiacs don't recover until 5 years after diagnosis and starting a gluten-free diet: Mucosal recovery and mortality in adults with celiac disease after treatment with a gluten-free diet However, it's also possible that what the study really shows is the difficulty in maintaining a 100% gluten-free diet. I suspect that if you looked closely at the diets of those who did not recover within 2 years might be that their diets were not 100% gluten-free. Perhaps they ate out more often, or didn't understand all of the hidden ingredients where gluten can hide. Either way, it shows how difficult recovery from celiac disease can be for most people. According to this study: This article explores other causes of flattened villi:    
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten testing is normally reported in ppm (parts per million), which is equivalent to mg/kg, not micrograms by itself. A result of <0.025 mcg only becomes meaningful if you know the sample size tested (for example, mcg per gram or per kg). If that value represents <0.025 mcg per gram, that would equal <25 ppm, which is above the gluten-free threshold; if it’s <0.025 mcg per kilogram, it would be extremely low and well within GF limits. Without the denominator, the result is incomplete. It’s reasonable to follow up with the company and ask them to confirm the result in ppm using a validated method (like ELISA R5)—that’s the standard used to assess gluten safety.
    • Scott Adams
      Medication sensitivity is very real for many people with celiac and other autoimmune conditions, and it’s frustrating when that’s brushed off. Even when a medication is technically gluten-free, fillers, dose changes, or how your nervous system reacts—especially with things like gabapentin—can cause paradoxical effects like feeling wired but exhausted. The fact that it helped bloating suggests it may be affecting gut–nerve signaling, which makes sense in the context of SIBO, but that doesn’t mean the side effects should be ignored. You’re carrying a heavy load right now with ongoing skin, eye, and neurological uncertainty, and living in that kind of limbo is exhausting on its own. It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed and discouraged when systems and providers don’t meet you where you are—your experience is valid, and continuing to advocate for yourself, even when it’s hard, really does matter. You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.