FLORENCE
Ristorante Lorenzo de’ Medici
Location: Florence, Italy
“Another A.I.C certified restaurant that has both celiac-safe, gluten-free food and regular non-gluten-free food. They use separate placemats if you have celiac disease. And they have a very extensive gluten-free menu. The staff is super friendly and kind, particularly to tourists. Their desserts are amazing, I recommend getting the tiramisu.”
Sgrano
Location: Florence, Italy
“I was in awe of this incredible gluten-free Panini shop. They have an inside restaurant which looked really good as well, but I opted for the Panini window with seating on the street and the side of the restaurant. There was a line and even people without celiac disease were eating the sandwiches. I am once again drooling writing this review because the sandwich was that good. I feel like Florence had absolutely phenomenal food and it was pretty consistent everywhere we went in the city. I highly recommend getting sandwiches and sharing at least two people because they are big, but this way you can try different flavors. Or feel free to come back multiple times!!”
Grom
Location: Florence, Italy
“I was surprised to learn that there are not very many Grom gelato shops in Florence, so if you find one, make sure you grab your gelato. Of course everything there is 100% gluten-free and absolutely delicious. I tried their sorbet beverage, it was just OK. I would recommend sticking to gelato or sorbets.”
Ristorante Hostaria Il Desco
Location: Florence, Italy
“I do not say this lightly. This was my favorite meal of my entire trip to Italy. The food was beyond amazing. The wine was absolutely delicious. The vibes were amazing. This is a bit of a splurge for Italy restaurant prices, but I promise you it is so worth it. They also seem to have an unofficial dress code of looking very cute and dressy, just as a warning. The gluten-free lasagna was out of control. The beef with shaved truffle on top is definitely something you need to try. I’m literally drooling as I type this out because that meal was amazing. (A little warning, the servers might come off a little bit snobby compared to other restaurants I went to in Italy. They are still polite and nice, but it threw us off a little).”
The St. Regis Florence
Location: Florence, Italy
“This was an absolute splurge for me and my family, but we love the St. Regis franchise and heard amazing things about the Florence location. The staff is phenomenal. They were so careful about celiac. We ate in their bar for small snacks and aperitivo the first night. We got to watch the Champagne sabering. I highly recommend trying their signature Bloody Mary. Each St. Regis hotel has a different take on the Bloody Mary and the one in Florence was phenomenal. I think the highlight of this hotel was definitely the breakfast buffet, which was included with our stay, because my family has status with Marriott properties, they had an entire gluten-free section and were able to warm up fresh gluten-free pastries for me outside of the buffet that were celiac-safe. They were even able to make gluten-free French toast. The omelete station was celiac-safe and amazing. So many fruits and fresh juices. I was truly in heaven. As a girl that lives for brunch, I cannot say enough wonderful things about this hotel.”
MILAN
Vik Pellico Otto Restaurant
Location: Milan, Italy
“If you’re in the mood to splurge and have on a fabulous outfit you can’t wait to show off, AND you’re hungry, Vik Pellico is the place to go. It’s located inside the Galleria Vik Milano hotel and overlooks the Galleria Emmanuel. The risotto I ordered was gluten-free and SO indulgent. The cocktails are amazing. Portion sizes are a bit small. They even brought out gluten-free bread for me! I do recommend taking a card that lists celiac disease and all the restrictions to show your server, so they can confirm with the chefs that the dish you want can be prepared gluten-free.”
Camparino in Galleria
Location: Milan, Italy
“The perfect spot for an aperitivo. Amazing cocktails and limited gluten-free food options. Amazing views of the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel and the Duomo. Great people watching too!”
My Heart – Pizze, Hamburger e Piadine Gluten-Free e Lactose-Free
Location: Milan, Italy
“A delicious 100% gluten-free restaurant in Milan with amazing gluten-free calzones and pizza! The staff is so kind. The perfect treat after a day of shopping and sightseeing!”
McDonald’s Milano Duomo
Location: Milan, Italy
“Gluten-free McDonald’s!! The cheeseburgers are celiac-safe, packed and cooked separately, and on Schar gluten-free buns. The buns don’t fall apart and are SO good! The fries aren’t celiac-safe, per what I read online, but they have Parmesan snack-size sticks that are perfect on the side!”
ROME
Limon’è
Location: Rome, Italy
“This definitely looks like a tourist trap from the outside because it’s catering towards folks like me who weren’t able to go to the Amalfi coast for their delicious lemons, but the lemon sorbet here is to die for and is absolutely perfect on a hot Rome afternoon. There’s nothing with gluten that I could see in this restaurant. They serve the ice cream in an actual lemon, so there wasn’t a risk of cross-contamination. It’s worth the pricey amount you will pay because it looks beautiful and the lemon is actually delicious.”
Pizza in Trevi
Location: Rome, Italy
“This was hands-down my favorite meal in Rome. On the first night, their pizza oven was broken so we were ‘forced’ to eat five different kinds of pasta. They make their own pasta in-house with a blend of different flours and use a different colored menu if you have celiac disease. They even give you packaged silverware so that there aren’t accidental crumbs in your silverware when you sit down. How incredible is that? The pastas were absolutely phenomenal. So fresh and so flavorful. I went back the day we were leaving Rome to get a pizza to go for the train ride. And the pizza, even though I ate it cold, was also amazing. This restaurant is very conveniently located next to the Trevi fountain. Beware that it gets insanely crowded in that street and may be hard to find, but it’s worth any wait to try!”
La Casa del Caffè Tazza d’Oro
Location: Rome, Italy
“I don’t think they have gluten-free food items here, but this café was the inspiration for Starbucks. I highly recommend checking out this café. The coffee is absolutely delicious and it’s so fun to watch the baristas make everyone’s drink so quickly. Most of this place is standing-only, so be prepared to lean against a high top, but this is a great spot to get a pick-me-up in between sightseeing.”
Mama Eat Lab
Location: Rome, Italy
“After a long afternoon of exploring Vatican City, this restaurant truly hit the spot. It is absolutely delicious, and the pizzas are clearly made in-house and are so fresh. They have clear protocols for gluten-free and essentially the entire menu can be made gluten-free. I highly recommend it.”
Celiachiamo Lab
Location: Rome, Italy
“Celiac heaven! This is a 100% gluten-free grocery store that also includes fresh sandwiches and pastries. In addition to shelf-stable items. I went absolutely bananas here and spent way too much money, but it was so worth it. It’s so incredible to find so many gluten-free food items that taste incredible in one shop.”
Bar Frattina
Location: Rome, Italy
“Another perfect aperitivo spot in the heart of amazing shopping in Rome. Beware that the prices are a little high, I’m guessing because of the location. The cocktails were amazing and all of the small bites they brought out with the cocktails were delicious, according to my family. Nothing but the olives were gluten-free, but they did bring out small sandwiches for free with drinks. Which I think is kind of worth it for the price of a cocktail.”
Pasta in Corso Pantheon
Location: Rome, Italy
“I love that in Italy for many restaurants, if you have celiac disease or a gluten-free preference, they give you a totally different colored paper menu. That is the case at this restaurant. It is AIC certified meaning that, even though they prepare food that has gluten in it, they are certified safe for celiac disease management. The pasta and arancini were amazing. So many celiac-safe options. And it’s conveniently located by the pantheon.”
GROM Gelato
Location: Rome, Italy
“10% gluten-free gelato. Grom is delicious, safe, and a classic. Try every flavor!!”
Gran Caffè Visconti
Location: Rome, Italy
“Came here for breakfast, but I brought my own food since this is a very classic Italian café with no gluten-free options for breakfast items. But there are plenty of small supermarkets close by that will have a few gluten-free biscuit options, which are perfectly paired with with this café’s incredible cappuccinos. I recommend sitting outside.”
VENICE
AC Hotel Venice
Location: Venice, Italy
“This hotel was pretty great. The location was very convenient with access to the train station and water taxis to get around Venice. They have a pretty good breakfast in the morning and had many gluten-free pastries that were prepackaged and available to grab.”
Caffè Florian
Location: Venice, Italy
“I did not get any food at this café. I think that some of the salads could have been gluten-free, but we were there at an awkward time so I opted just for coffee. Most of the menu though was not gluten-free from what I could see. But this is such a historic café, I highly recommend sitting inside or outside because they have live music. So great for people watching and getting a quick pick me up. It was giving me old time-y historic vibes with the outfits of the servers and the artwork and decor inside. The coffee was of course amazing.”
MEA Libera Tutti
Location: Venice, Italy
“The tiniest but most amazing gluten-free grocery store in Venice. Everything in the store was 100% gluten-free. While they did not have any fresh food options, the shelf, stable snacks, and pastas were very impressive. The amount of brands I had never heard of that had the most delicate pastries was pretty mind blowing. The staff was incredibly kind and even gave me a list of their personal recommendations for celiac-safe restaurants in Venice. Please go check them out.”
Al Giardinetto da Severino
Location: Venice, Italy
“I cannot say enough about this restaurant. I think this is tied for the best restaurant I ate at during my trip to Italy. We were seated in the back patio, and we made a reservation in advance, so our table was reserved and waiting for us. I highly recommend making a reservation. I think the staff treats you a little bit better, which is unfortunate, but that seems to be the reality of most places in Italy. The pesto pasta was to die for. The cocktails were amazing, the gluten-free bread was very tasty. I highly recommend dining here. It’s AIC certified.”
Frary’s
Location: Venice, Italy
“Pretty delicious North African/Mediterranean food. The menu was clearly labeled with gluten-free options and the staff was very knowledgeable about gluten-free items. You can eat the falafel, the fryer is safe. They even brought out gluten-free rice crackers for me, which was very thoughtful, but also rice crackers do not go well with Mediterranean food lol. Without the rice crackers, though the food was still very flavorful and delicious. Make a reservation because the restaurant is tiny.”
