Gluten Free - Celiac Travelers

If the product states that it is gluten free then it is gluten free which would mean that it's safe for those with coeliac disease. European laws state that food establishments have to display all allergens that their products contain, most will display this on the menu or have the information available for the customer to view. Some places may provide a caveat that they cannot guarantee that cross contamination might not occur often due to restrictions in the kitchen or factory. This is standard procedure for most places worldwide so treat that information as you would anywhere else.

I would take a "card" with a translation of what the food concerns are. My granddaughter has a severe gluten intolerance and our daughter took a homemade, laminated card translated into Spanish when we went to Mexico last year. It was also in English and stated what the concerns were.

I think she used Google Translate and then just took to Office Max or somewhere to get it laminated.

She pulled it out at meal time and everyone was very on board with ensuring she did not have gluten or any cross contamination.

It was perfect.

YMMV, and happy travels.

I traveled last year to Northern Italy with a friend with severe celiac disease. She carried the aforementioned card with the celiac information, and after doing extensive research ate primarily at restaurants who claimed to be celiac friendly. But while the dishes she ordered did not contain any gluten and the kitchen and staff were very careful and would provide her with gluten free bread sticks and crackers, cross contamination is almost impossible to avoid. It's in the air. She only had one bad day in a 10 day trip and was a trooper. But you should be aware that when eating out the risk will exist.

I realize you posted this a while ago, so hopefully I'm not too late! I have Celiac and I've found that Italy is one of the easiest places for me to travel food-wise. Italians are very aware of Celiac in my experience, partially because it is more prevalant there than in some other places.

My first recommendation would be to focus on restaurants that are AIC-accredited. The AIC (Associazione Italiana Celiachia) is a national organization devoted to supporting those with Celiac. They have a program called Programma Alimentazione Fuori Casa, essentially meaning "Eating Out," that has put together a database of places that can provide safe gluten free food. They have an app you can download to help you locate restaurants. In order to be accredited, the restaurants have to comply with high standards for preparing gluten free food and offer a minimum choice of gluten free dishes. While you do have to be a member (and have an italian postal code) to access the full version, they offer two weeks of access for travelers for a small price (I believe around $4 USD). So I would recommend signing up when your trip begins or shortly before, depending on your trip length. I think a lot of people use this in conjunction with the Find Me Gluten Free app. There are many dedicated gluten free places, especially in the larger cities, and these are the most safe for obvious reasons.

If you don't know much Italian, some people also feel more comfortable carrying a gluten free restaurant card that you can show serving staff. It explains, in Italian, that you have Celiac and must eat gluten free. But essentially there are two small phrases you need to know "sono celiaco/a" meaning "I am celiac" and "senza glutine" meaning "gluten free."

A couple other notes on safety:

• Gluten free beer isn't so gluten free. Gluten free beers in Italy generally contain barley and are gluten-reduced/removed rather than actually gluten-free. So for most celiacs, it is best to steer clear
• Gluten free wheat starch is a very common ingredient--and part of why things like pastries and pizza taste better there. However, gluten free wheat starch is also used by some companies that sell products in the US (i.e. Schar) because under the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule wheat starch is allowed in gluten-free foods as long as the final product contains less than 20 ppm of gluten. It is ultimately up to you to decide whether or not to consume products with it, but I personally have not had issues. However, anyone with an actual wheat allergy should not consume these products.

A couple other resources I would recommend checking out:

• https://wheatlesswanderlust.com/gluten-free-italy/
• https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/does-wheat-starch-belong-in-a-gluten-free-diet/
• https://www.legalnomads.com/gluten-free/italy/
• https://www.mygfguide.com/gluten-free-italy/

Cheers and mangia bene!

My roommate on my RS tour to Italy had celiac. I don’t think she had the card, or previewed restaurants. When we sat down she’d tell the waitstaff “senza glutina” and they would point out her options. She said that Italy was one of the best countries for accommodating her food needs.