Dietary restrictions.

Garlic is not used as much as you imagine. It is used more heavily in Southern Italy, but not as much in Northern Italy. I've used [INVALID]wisely.com translation cards for food allergy issues, they have different levels for wording for the severity. If it is the type of severe allergy where if a knife was used on garlic and then on something she eats and she has a reaction, she needs to discuss the issue with the waitstaff and may even want to try to stick with self catering as much as possible. Is it just raw garlic or raw and cooked? Does there have to be a certain amount to set her off or just a tiny bit? How does she deal with restaurants at home? Garlic is used in dishes for a number of different ethnicities. Some sauces may have garlic in them like a red sauce and may have simmered for quite a while, other sauces are faster cooking and garlic can be left out more easily (white or wine sauces for example).

Not sure why the forum didn't like my link, it made the word select invalid above. The web site is select wisely dot com with no spaces.

She just avoids dishes with garlic in them here in the states.....gets deathly ill to her stomach when garlic is used in dishes or eats garlic bread, etc. Don't know if it is as severe as a knife being used then transfered to a dish...don't know. She doesn't go into breathing issues just stomach issues. Well, guess she will have to be careful and ask questions.

It sounds as though rather than being Allergic, her stomach disagrees with garlic. An allergic reaction is quite different and sometimes life threatening. I would consider making up a card that is the equivalent of "no Garlic please", not sure if the link mentioned has anything specifically for garlic, and if it did, it would probably include other foods in the Allium family like onions, which may not give her a problem.....There will be plenty of simply prepared vegetables, fish and meat in the north, might want to avoid pastas with cream sauces or sauteed items as a start.

Appreciate your imput. Think I will order the cards for her so you will have them just in case. Yes, as you say, probably more of a digestive problem than allergy. Thanks.

Either way she should probably travel with antacids and Imodium A-D or some other over-the-counter stuff for digestive problems. I have an allergy for shellfish so I've made a list of all the words used on the menu that pertain to shellfish. But I had a sensitivity to something that is in white sauces(almost ruined a day in Florence a few years back) but being prepared is half the battle.

Thanks again for your thoughts..better to be prepared.