Gluten Free in Italy

This past August we traveled to Italy for a vacation. Before we left, people kept asking me what I was going to eat in Italy because "all they eat there is pizza and pasta!" I did a little research before hand so I wouldn't be totally unprepared, however it ended up being more and more frustrating to find good, gluten-free things to eat at a reasonable price. We traveled to three cities, Rome, Florence and Venice, so I'll write about some of the up's and down's of this gluten-free adventure. 

Rome/Roma

We inadvertently made the mistake of getting the best gluten-free pizza on our very first day in Rome. We found this place online Voglia di Pizza located at Via dei Giubbonari 33. It was pretty easy to find. We had the Margherita pizza and the cheese with salami. Both were delicious. The crust was similar to what I remember about gluten-full pizza. Here is a picture of me devouring my pizza. 

We also went to Cantina e Cucina at Via dei Governo Vecchio 87. Via dei Governo Vecchio was recommended to us for its numerous wonderful restaurants. Cantina e Cucina  happened to have gluten-free pasta, so we tried it out. Both of our pasta dishes were wonderful. The pasta seemed a little bit al dente to me but I think that's just the Italian way. Do as the Romans do. 

Florence/Firenze

In Florence we had a nice dinner at Osteria Dell'Agnolo. Very cute little place very close to the duomo. We sat outside. They had gluten-free pasta that was very good. I forgot to take pictures, but trust me, it was good!

We were told to go to Pizza Man for delicious gluten-free pizza. We found our way there one day to get pizza for lunch but they said "no, not yet." Apparently they don't have it during the day, but maybe if you go for dinner you'll get to try it! One of our tour guides with a gluten allergy himself said it was very good. 

We went to a more expensive, nice dinner one night at The Golden View. Great atmosphere with wonderful views of the river. They gave us a glass of prosecco when we got there and were very accommodating and understanding of gluten allergies. I had the Pesce Spadda Alla Siciliana. It was very delicious. They even brought us gluten free crackers instead of bread. 

One day we went on a day trip with Alessandro Cammilli (who I highly recommend) to Tuscany. We stopped at one of Dario Cecchini's restaurants called Dario Doc in Chianti. Cecchini is one of the most respected butchers in Italy and maybe even the world. They have about four different red meat dishes on the menu with differing prices. We all got the Super Dario. It was naturally gluten free and DELICOUS. The meat was some of the best red meat I have ever had. If you have a chance, stop by between 12 and 3 and you'll have a delicious lunch!

Venice/Venezia

In Venice we had lunch at Osteria Antico Dolo at Ruga Rialto 778. They had wonderful gluten free pasta and the service was great. They even let us use their phone to locate an ATM. 

We also had lunch at Ristobar San Polo at San Polo 2024. They had gluten free pasta that was very good and a delicious gluten free desert of some sort of fried custard with chocolate on top. It was so good that we said we would come back for dinner. We showed up for dinner and it was closed which was unfortunate. I'm not sure if it is always closed for dinner. The picture of the desert isn't that great, but trust me it was delicious!

That is just about all I have to report from Italy! They do have gluten-free bread in some grocery stores. If you ask for Senza Glutine they may have a whole section. It is like the brand Schar. Hope this helps with anyone's gluten-free travels to Italy!