Going To The Land Of Bread And Pasta...

[JenKuz]

Hey all,

I'm hoping you can help me with this. I will be travelling to Italy for a training program through most of November. I'll be staying in Orvieto for three weeks, then going on to Berlin for a short break. I'm new at gluten-free, and am realizing fast that it takes practice. I guess if anyplace will test my mettle, Italy will. In Orvieto I'll be staying at a guesthouse, and will have no access to a kitchen (in Berlin I'll stay with a friend, so I can prepare my own foods. She knows the problems I'm having and is sympathetic, so it's not so much a problem there).

I was wondering if any of you have successfully navigated Italy gluten-free? What did you order at restaurants? How did you talk about your needs? I know there are a few things that will work anywhere, but I thought I'd check to see if you have any tips on Italian foods I'll be able to eat, or on how to travel abroad gluten-free. I'm guessing I can eat risotto, salads and some soups, but I'm worried I won't be able to avoid cross-contamination.

Thanks so much for your advice.

[gfp]

Italy is a celaic's dream.....

Children are all screened pre-school hence 1:200 people are diagnosed in Italy so everyone knows someone.

Even though Orvieto is a small villiage (about 20,000) this still means 100 diagnosed celaics in that villiage.

The Italian Celaic soc actually tests and gives window stickers to celaic friendly resto's....here is the Umbria page.

Open Original Shared Link

As you can see there is a gluten free pizzeria

Open Original Shared Link

indirizzo:

P.zza S. Giovenale,6

città:

Orvieto (TR)

Tel./Fax:

0763.340641

Persona/e di riferimento:

Grisci Cristina

Chiusura / Note:

chiuso lun e-mail: info@alsangiovenale.it

Prezzo min/max:

10 (pizza)/35€

I have found that once you find one you can ask about and they will have other friends who might not be specifically gluten-free but they can talk to .... obviously it helps to have decent Italian but you can also print out the guides on the celaic assoc site to show them.

[tarnalberry]

Italy... land of pasta.

Also, land of the some of the foremost in celiac research and school-age testing.

Also, land of risotto.

Also, land of some of the best darn pasta substitutes ever.

You'll be just fine. Others who have been there since going gluten-free can offer more advice than I, but before they respond, I can at least tell you that they've reported it wasn't usually much of a problem at all. Do a search on the board for posts about Italy and you'll find a number that report no problem.

[JenKuz]

Italy is a celaic's dream.....

Children are all screened pre-school hence 1:200 people are diagnosed in Italy so everyone knows someone.

Even though Orvieto is a small villiage (about 20,000) this still means 100 diagnosed celaics in that villiage.

The Italian Celaic soc actually tests and gives window stickers to celaic friendly resto's....here is the Umbria page.

Wow, this is fantastic! I had no idea. I guess they're alot more advanced than the US on this front, huh? Now I really can't wait!

[gfp]

Wow, this is fantastic! I had no idea. I guess they're alot more advanced than the US on this front, huh? Now I really can't wait!

Unless your Italian is good then I suggest taking a free dining card (you can take a pay one but I honestly don't think its worth it for Italy, its not like you are introducing a new concept for them and the card from celaic travel is more than adequate IMHO....) Open Original Shared Link

Also Roger and Lindsey are outstanding people and do this all for free ... so much as I might say to buy one of the professional ones for Katmandu or Ulan Bator I don't think you'll need that for Italy... (OMG I am so jealous ....)

When you are going home make sure to take as much olive oil as you can find.... Umbria has some of the best Olive oil and its far cheaper for the same quality as Tuscan.(Il Fachioni El casolari is a good buy but your hosts will doubtless have recommendations) ... leave plenty of room for wine though too......

Wow... your going to love it....

If your flying into Rome are you stopping over, I have a few resto recommendations one inparticular was excellent and dirt cheap.... its out of the centre at polyclinico.... looks like nothing much but as we sat and ate people were driving from all over to go there!

Always try and phone ahead for the resto's, especially if you want gluten-free pizza.... some of them will only prepare to order...

Are you going to travel? I mean you can't not go to Rome... many of the trains are pretty good on the principal routes...and dirt cheap....

[JenKuz]

Unless your Italian is good then I suggest taking a free dining card (you can take a pay one but I honestly don't think its worth it for Italy, its not like you are introducing a new concept for them and the card from celaic travel is more than adequate IMHO....) Open Original Shared Link

Also Roger and Lindsey are outstanding people and do this all for free ... so much as I might say to buy one of the professional ones for Katmandu or Ulan Bator I don't think you'll need that for Italy... (OMG I am so jealous ....)

When you are going home make sure to take as much olive oil as you can find.... Umbria has some of the best Olive oil and its far cheaper for the same quality as Tuscan.(Il Fachioni El casolari is a good buy but your hosts will doubtless have recommendations) ... leave plenty of room for wine though too......

Wow... your going to love it....

If your flying into Rome are you stopping over, I have a few resto recommendations one inparticular was excellent and dirt cheap.... its out of the centre at polyclinico.... looks like nothing much but as we sat and ate people were driving from all over to go there!

Always try and phone ahead for the resto's, especially if you want gluten-free pizza.... some of them will only prepare to order...

Are you going to travel? I mean you can't not go to Rome... many of the trains are pretty good on the principal routes...and dirt cheap....

Thanks sooo much for all the advice. I've never been to Umbria; spent a month near Milan once upon a time, and got to see Venice and Tuscany then, but this will be new. Also, I didn't get to Rome last time so it is a MUST for a weekend.

I'm actually flying into and out of Milan, both from the US, and on to Berlin at the end of the trip. So if you have any recommendations for Milan, I'd love to hear them, too.

I've heard the olive oil from Umbria is amazing. My family's stockings are going to be stuffed full with it this Christmas. As will my own. I was thinking of nosing around for some porcini, too. Not that dried ones are hard to find anywhere, but maybe the real italian variety will have some kind of magic.

Hey, if you have any tips for Berlin let me know! Now that I'm not worried about food, I can't wait to go.

[gfp]

Thanks sooo much for all the advice. I've never been to Umbria; spent a month near Milan once upon a time, and got to see Venice and Tuscany then, but this will be new. Also, I didn't get to Rome last time so it is a MUST for a weekend.

I honestly can't get enough of Rome....its a unique city and the city today still has the same stamp on the drain covers and public notices etc. it had 2000 years ago....whatever your interests Rome has something ....

I know of one gluten-free hotel which is pretty expensive, right next to the American Embassay (Hotel Alexandra) ... food and wine is good.(but thats pretty much true of Rome)... but I don't really like expensive hotels ... makes vacation feel like work for me and in most cases you could be anywhere! We stopped in a small B&B near Terminus (actually we have stopped in several) but one of them was really cool in that you could use the kitchen.(I can try and look it up if you like).. pans are really cheap in Italy and we were also camping so we had our own little gluten-free haven ... lunch is always the hardest thing to find if you are like me and spend the whole day wandering... I find if I try and plan gluten-free lunches I spend an inordinate amount of time just looking for places whereas eating at night you can make a proper reservation but my gluten-free success rate was pretty good! (it was summer and salads were an easy option, actually it was 110 deg so it was the only practical option) Pharmacies sell gluten-free pasta etc. but I just didn't bother.... I mean you can have a proper sit down meal with wine in a gluten-free resto.... so its not worth it for me....

Another B&B we stayed in had a room with a huge terrace ... being summer we bought wine and antipasti like artichokes and proccutio .. reggiano de parmegiano and (oooh Im dribbling) ..... we just rebooked it for my friends sister...and she's going to be there next week. You need to ask specifically for room 9 though.... the rest of the rooms are fine but this one is the "special room" ... huge bathroom and all with provate balcony.

If you stop near terminus you are next to the transport systems .... both subway lines and several busses. These are really useful for going to some of the far flung gluten-free places and not wasting valuable time wandering round in awe .....

I'm actually flying into and out of Milan, both from the US, and on to Berlin at the end of the trip. So if you have any recommendations for Milan, I'd love to hear them, too.

Sorry Milan is on my list .....of paces to still visit. The train service though (Eurostar class) between Rome and Milan is excellent.... (NO gluten-free THOUGH) the regional railways are as bad as all the jokes about Italian organisation .... but the intercity routes, especially Eurostar are completely modern and unlike anytihng you have in the US.... they are almost as good as the French TGV service .. and I say almost because the TGV is just much larger .... 200 mph+ trains which are like being on a plane except there is no noise.or vibration. (you have to try it, its spooky) when you look out of the window and see Italians driving at what you know is 120mph+ and you pass them like they are standing still you will realise what I mean....

Play about on the Open Original Shared Link for instance Milan to Rome is 4 1/2 hours....(488 kms) or 370 miles.......

Rome Orvieto is only 59 mins! if you get the Eurostar...

I've heard the olive oil from Umbria is amazing. My family's stockings are going to be stuffed full with it this Christmas. As will my own. I was thinking of nosing around for some porcini, too. Not that dried ones are hard to find anywhere, but maybe the real italian variety will have some kind of magic.

Florence has an enormous market which sells Porccini in the Fall. I don't know what US prices are like but they are so cheap in Italy...compared to the UK and even France which is still 1/10th the price of the UK.

Many places will vacuum seal them for you (which you need to take them back to the US) the same for cheese so make sure you grab some Parmesan while you are in Milan.... It honestly has nothing in common with the US stuff they call Parmesan... believe me you won't want to grate it

Orvieto itself is meant to be amazing................a friend of mine almost wouldn't speak to me when we decided we didn't have time to visit...

The local white wines are renowned and Orvietto itself is a CittaSlow

Cittaslow, (literally Slow City in English) is a movement founded in Italy in October of 1999. The inspiration of Cittaslow was the Slow Food organization; Cittaslow's goals include improving quality of life in towns while resisting the homogenization and Americanization of cities, where standardized franchise stores dominate. Celebrating and supporting diversity of culture and the specialities of a town and its hinterland are core Cittaslow values.

Hey, if you have any tips for Berlin let me know! Now that I'm not worried about food, I can't wait to go.

Berlin, sorry don't really know

[ekdumas19]

Hi!

I went on a term abroad to Florence Italy and spent three months there. I thought I was going to have tons of problems and be hungry all the time-but it was the best I have ever eaten in my life! I lived with a old Italian house mom who once I shared with her my gluten free dining card translated into Italian-she was more than happy to help. The only real difficult thing was breakfast as most Italians just eat a light breakfast of bread and jam and an espresso. She would always give me fruit, or a yogurt, or occasionally eggs. Their eggs are the best ever by the way. There are always tons of salad, cheese and meat options for every meal-and the quality of it all is superb. In Italy I never felt like I would be poisoned by hidden gluten because they don't add crap into all their food like the US does. If your looking for gluten free goods-ie pastas, breads, etc-a lot of times they carry them in the pharamacy or farmacia. When i was Florence i found a whole foods store that I was able to buy bread and stuff. But honestly I didn't miss it at all-all the meats and cheese and fresh veggies kept me happy enough. Just be careful about gelato-I didnt find out till after I was there, but lots of gelatos tend to have some form of gluten in them. Just make sure to check with the people working there or use that gluten free dining card thing. Have fun--I am sooo jealous of you!!

[Guest TerpyTaylor]

Hi all!

I traveled all around Europe for a month this summer and besides having the most amazing time of my life all-around, I had a great time being gluten-free!

I saw mention of Milan, so I had to tell you about the best gluten-free restaurant in the world. They have a whole gluten free menu of pasta, pizza, gnocchi, and oh my gosh, everything was DELICIOUS! My friends and I shared a gluten-free pasta and I got my own gluten-free pizza that was good! I wanted to cry when I got it! It's called Be Bop, and you can find the address and such on the Italian Celiac Web site, but here it is:

PIZZERIA BE BOP

VIALE COL DI LANA 4 (that's the street, it's a big street and fairly easy to find on a map.)

(Milano città)

Chiusura: domenica a pranzo e lunedì - agosto e periodo natalizio

Tel. 02/8376972

It's not really in the city center, but we walked there from the city center. It's probably a mile or two from the duomo. We ended up completely stumbling upon the place while looking for a museum. We knew we wanted to hopefully try to find it, and knew what street it was on, but we weren't really sure how to find it. We had the most amazing time, their house white wine is wonderful, and I even made a friend! A guy sitting at the table next to us came over and talked to me because he's a celiac too; we even exchanged e-mail addresses and have been pen-palling! Going to that restaurant was one of my favorite memories from the whole trip.

Here's the site that links closer to the restaurant list. I know, I know, everyone complains that it's in Italian, but I figured it out and I don't speak Italian at all!

Open Original Shared Link

I'll explain it a little so maybe that will help...if you look on the left, where it says "Ristoratori" there's a list of tabs you can click on that have restaurants lists by region. Unfortunately, it's by region and not by city, so you'll just have to take the time to do some searching! It's great though, they even list out how expensive the place is and such. Oh and remember too that city names will be in Italian (i.e. Turin vs. Torino) so know the Italian name of the city you're looking for.

Italians are truly wonderful about gluten free food! I went to just a random restaurant in Milan too and explained in broken Italian/English that I was celiac, and they totally understood and brought me a wonderful risotto dish.

Also, remember the value of fresh food markets! I ate of ton of fresh fruit and veggies, plus things like cheese, potato chips and yogurt. (I was on a super tight back packer budget.) We did things like grabbing rice cakes and peanut butter and eating them alongside the Arno River. To me, often I experienced the culture of place better that way, rather than an "authentic" meal in an "authentic" restaurant. You can't beat trying your best at a language in a foreign grocery store buying bananas, then eating your food in a city square or outside a gorgeous church or museum.

When buying food, check ingredient labels and go for things with short lists of very natural ingredients that you understand. Eureopean food is much fresher and more natural, so this isn't that hard. They have less hidden ingredients. Also, do your research and find out the italian words for ingredients to be careful of, plus words like wheat, barely, etc.

Hope this helps! Good luck and have fun!

God Bless,

Taylor

[georgie]

WOW ! What amazing info. I was thinking of taking a trip to Italy next year and now that I have found I am GI - was getting stressed. And those cards are the most brilliant idea ! Are the people happy to do gluten-free mostly - or is it a nuisance ?

[allison]

I also traveled around Europe for a month this summer, and was just thinking that I hardly got sick and I think it must have been because they don't add crap to their food.

Anyway, in Italy, I had some mind-blowing Risotto, gelato (must make sure on this one, but most are just fine), cheese, rice crackers, fruit, meat dishes with polenta etc. People always think of Italian cooking as all Pizza and Pasta, but there are a lot of meat dishes (if you eat meat) that work quite well because they come with roasted potatoes, polenta, risotto, etc.

Watch out for gnocchi...they will call it a "potato dumpling"--but it almost always has flour in it.

Have fun!

WOW ! What amazing info. I was thinking of taking a trip to Italy next year and now that I have found I am GI - was getting stressed. And those cards are the most brilliant idea ! Are the people happy to do gluten-free mostly - or is it a nuisance ?