Eating options (vegan) My Way Italy

Someone ask the same question recently; here are responses:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/vegan-in-italy

I've done 3 of Rick's tours that were in or partly in Italy although I've not done My Way. My brother was with me on 2 of the 3 and we are both vegan. There was no real problem with eating in Italy. It was never a problem to get cheese left off a pizza, for instance. Sometimes the fresh pasta has egg in it which didn't bother either of us much but if that is the case for your daughter, the gluten free pasta or dried pasta often does not have egg. I did get dreadfully tired of zucchini and eggplant but that is a personal preference. Broccoli is hard to come by in the places I've been in Italy, lol.

I also suggest she take along this translation card. I printed it out and taped it to a 3x5 index card I could hand to a server. They are also available with the VCard app but occasionally they would take it back to the kitchen to show the chef so I preferred to hand someone a card rather than giving them my phone to take away, lol.

https://www.maxlearning.net/HEALth/V-Cards

Happycow.net is a pretty good website for finding vegan food but really, most places can accommodate vegans these days.

It will be helpful for her to know the phrase "Senza formaggio" which is without cheese. Pizza dough is general vegan so she can get a veggie pizza "senza formaggio" pretty easily. Sometimes they will pile rocket/arugula on top and it's delicious. If the server questions "senza formaggio", I usually point to my stomach and make a grimace and shake my head. Dairy does not really affect me that way BUT it makes it more understandable to others sometimes.

She'll have a grand time in Italy! BTW, most gelato shops have sorbetto that is generally made without dairy. Delicious!

Thank you for taking the time to respond, Pam! Very helpful.

You (and your daughter) are very welcome! I was so worried on my first time back to Europe as a vegan and my first time on a tour. Really, I worried for nothing and if I can prevent worry for other vegans that's wonderful.

I'm doing Rick's Best of Italy in late September and haven't been to Italy in a few years so after I posted the link for you I was looking thru the Happy Cow website for restaurants in Florence. I see my favorite gelato shop in Paris, Amorino (really it's Italian, lol) is in Florence and in Paris they have all their vegan sorbettos labeled in the case so no question! I also see there is a food stand in the Mercado Centrale that has vegan food which is great.

I realized the place the guy took my "I am vegan" card back to the kitchen was right near Mercato Centrale. One of my fall-back orders in Tuscany was soup - the ribollita which is a delicious bread and veg soup.

Ohhhh, I can't wait!

BTW, tell your daughter not to go to Kauai. Yikes. Very difficult to eat vegan there.

We travelled with my vegan daughter-in-law several years ago and she had a great experience! Remember the phrase "sono vegana" (I ma vegan) and they will be happy to help. As long as she is good with tomatoes and gluten she'll be good. Dried pasta shapes will not have egg where fresh pasta probably will. Even in small towns all the restaurants were helpful, understanding and got it!

Thank you so much, Ann Marie! That’s a relief.

Just wanted to comment and thank everyone who responded for the great info! I'm going to Italy this summer and it will be my first time since going plant-based last year. I was slightly worried but it seems like everywhere is starting to embrace more plant-based options. Woohoo!

Erin, I'll add that the term "plant-based" will probably not be understood. Vegan will be, mostly (lol).

We are both vegan, and although we travel independently and get self-catering accommodations, we had no trouble in Italy. We found plentiful vegan options in the gelaterias. Fruity sorbetto flavors abound. There are even vegan chocolate options. As Italy seems to be great about allergens, lots of places have symbols indicating such.

For your vegan daughter while in Venice: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy-reviews/vegan-in-venice

Hi! I’m also vegan, and planning for my first RS tour, BOI, this June. I’ve seen great recommendations on this forum, esp Pam :) ! I’ve kept those in my notes and scoped out some places from Happy Cow and Pinterest. From what I’ve researched, your daughter will not have any issues. I’ve even looked at the smaller towns, like Assisi, with vegan options. I’m told that Refugio Romano inRome is a DO NOT miss, but they’re closed on Monday, my free day there. Origano is another recommendation in Rome. Roman style artichokes anyone?

Venice: I had reservations at La Tecia Vegana back in 2020, but that MyWay Italy trip was canceled. @Donna&Dennis say it’s fantastic! I’ll go twice as I will spend extra days in Venice before joining BOI tour in Varenna. And a crepe place called Cocaete sounds good for lunch on the go. There’s a small bio store too, if needed. A small sandwich snack coffee wine spot called Bacaro Pane e Vin has a FB page, and they messaged me with a few of their vegan options when I asked. Super casual spot. 7am-12midnight.

Also, there’s a small Italian chain called Flower Burger that started in Milan, but with branches in other Italian cities like Florence and Rome, near Vatican (and LA)! I tried their branch in LA this year and it was super tasty. Not like “fake meat” but actual beans and veggies made up as burgers. The most beautiful colorful burger and fries you will ever have. And chocolate salami! A sweet dessert that looks like … salami. 😂.

@Pam did you see the tasty vegan options at the cafe near the train station in Varrena? NaturalMente. I’ll have lunch there right off the train, and I’ll report back! Thanks for intel on eggplant and zucchini squash. I remember aubergine overload on a trip to England as well. I’ll back off of those ahead of the Italy trip. I agree about Amorino vegan flavors, including dark chocolate!

Last trip to France I bought a box of muesli and tiny boxes of soy or almond milk (almond seemed more prevalent than soy) and fruit to eat for breakfast, when I ran out of instant oatmeal, and moved from Paris apt to hotels in Provence. Plenty of vegan pizza and pasta out there too! It was fun adding the infused olive oil to the pizzas.

I’m excited to try out some of these places and report back. I asked Mama Isa about vegan cooking classes in Venice, but as a solo traveler, she is out of my $$ range. I’m still looking…. Maybe I’ll come across a pizza or bread class?

Thanks for sharing any more discoveries, 187peixoto! Enjoy your special trip with your daughter.

@Shawn!! Can’t wait for your report and I will take notes, lol. I spent the whole afternoon on Happy Cow yesterday and tried to walk around Varenna, lol. I DID see NaturalMente and had it earmarked as well, lol.

I’ll spend a few days in Milan ahead of time so need to look around there too.

Together we should all have some fairly good intel/advice for the 2023 crowd.

Re:Amorino…sometimes in Paris I can find the dark chocolate sorbetto and try to pair it with banana sorbetto. My idea of heaven. My mouth is watering.

Pam, I didn’t know you’re taking the RS Best of Italy 17-day tour! That’s the one where every stop was a “wow” and the springboard to return so many times to Italy!

I had the opposite- learned about Amorino in Italy and was excited later when I saw the Amorino shop near the Luxembourg Garden in Paris!

And to reply to the question, the restaurants in Italy have always been very helpful when sharing any dietary restrictions in a kind manner. And we enjoy stopping in the grocery stores to pick out a few items for lunch. Their veggies & fruit are great! Have a wonderful time!

Thank you all for such detailed information in your responses. It is SO appreciated. The anticipation of this trip is already building. Such an exciting time to be able to pick up the books and start planning!

Thanks, Pam! I had a little incident where I referred to myself as "mostly vegan" on instagram last year and got torn to pieces by the mob who made it clear that (according to them) identifying as "vegan" was an all-or-nothing thing, so I was hesitant to repeat that slip :) I try my best, but I'm by no means perfect, hence why I usually go with the more forgiving "plant-based". But, duly noted for translation purposes haha!

Bookmarking Flower Burger for when I'm in Florence, and I'll definitely check out the thread with the Venice recommendations!

Thanks again to everyone!

Oh Erin...I totally understand! I am plant-based, no political overtones that some vegans bring into the mix. I wear leather shoes and don't care what others wear either. I eat honey occasionally (really how much honey does one eat over a year?) AND people can be so mean!

It's just that in Europe they understand the term vegan a bit better and as far as I have been able to tell, no political overtones or sniffs from serving staff.

BTW, even saying "vegan", no meat, plus having it translated by the Rick Steves guide one time we still got pasta with cinghiale...wild boar! Apparently it is not considered "meat", lol. We ate around the edges and had plenty of other stuff to fill us up.

Thank you, Pam. Glad we can all be reasonable adults here! I have a pretty good handle on what foods are "normally" vegan, so when dining out, I don't feel compelled to ask the waiter detailed questions on every single ingredient for every single dish. I just do my best and if I accidentally eat some eggs or cheese or butter, etc. I don't stress about it.

I've definitely heard of chicken or fish not being considered "meat" but wild boar! That's a new one on me hahaha

Thanks to all of you vegan and vegan-friendly travelers for sharing your experiences! I truly appreciate hearing how much veganism is growing in the world. I love our space here to connect! Happy travels, and I hope to post more specifics once I have sneakers on the ground. :) [and now I need a snack!]