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Florence and Montepulciano - Gluten Free

There are two of us who are gluten sensitive on our current trip to Italy and we have had a more difficult time than we would have expected finding places to eat. However, I would like to make the following recommendations:
In Florence, we were trying to quickly find a place to eat lunch and stopped at Mister Pizza next to the Duomo. It was not the place we would have normally chosen (too touristy) but we were really hungry and getting quite grumpy. The gluten free crust was delicious and they had gluten free beer! Our favorite experience in Florence was at Trattoria Bordino across the river near Ponte Vecchio. The waiter made the entire meal one of our favorites. They were very good at helping us with gluten free as well. In Montepulciano we had lunch at Osteria Acquacheta. The steak was so delicious and the pumpkin soup was gluten free! Dinner at Ristorante La Briciola was also delicious and was the first restaurant we found on our trip that offered gluten free pasta. Try the wild boar sauce on gluten free pasta - DELICIOUS!. They offer vegetarian options as well. But DO make reservations - everywhere.
If you go to Pienza there are very limited options for gluten free. However, we ate pecorino gelato - definitely worth it.

Posted by
36 posts

Grazie mille!
We’re heading there next week (Florence and Pienza) and also require gluten-free menu options for Celiac disease. We had heard it was not too difficult to navigate the menus in Italy since food labeling is much more common on menus there.

Thanks again for the tips and would love to hear of any other restaurant recommendations as you continue your travels.

Posted by
62 posts

Hi CSB, many of the restaurants we looked at have menus with listed allergens as a number. However, we found that the menus are not always consistent - for example, pastas are listed as having gluten, but further down the menu, the dolce options won’t list gluten even though you are pretty sure the tiramisu contains it. Just ask. We ate at Osteria Borgo in Montepulciano yesterday for lunch and the waitress was very good at explaining our options and even checked with the chef about the wild boar and palenta which was very good. In general, if you are Celiac, some restaurants may tell you they can’t guarantee your safety with cross contamination. You can find places that have a dedicated kitchen if you prefer, but they are limited in the small areas. Also, many gelato places carry gluten free cones. Be careful of any gelato place that has crushed Oreos or bright green pistachio - keep walking. Hope that helps! Enjoy!

Posted by
1 posts

My wife is Celiac and we’re in Florence now. We tend to look for restaurants certified by the Italian celiac association, the AIC. The have a mobile app that you can use to locate restaurants, it costs about $5 to activate for 2 weeks. Obviously you should research reviews, talk to staff, etc. at any restaurant you go to.

In Florence we like:

  1. Quinoa, an all GF restaurant a few blocks west of the Duomo plaza. The have a varied menu, not a pasta and pizza place.
  2. Da Garibardi, on a plaza adjacent to the Mercato Centrale. More traditional food. We get bistecca there.
  3. Mister Pizza is good, I just walked by a second location a few blocks north of the Duomo that might not be as busy.
  4. Sgrano, which has schiaccate and, at dinner, pizza. Haven’t been there this trip.
  5. Risotteria Melotti. Many rice-based dishes, we’ve only been to the one in Rome but enjoyed it.
  6. Bottega Artigiana del Gusto, a dedicated GF bakery and store about 2.5 miles from the Duomo. We loaded up on pastries and other supplies that you won’t find in the local grocery stores.
  7. Grom, a dedicated GF gelato chain, just off the Duomo square.