I have a friend who's wife is allergic to dairy, gluton, and is a vegitarian. He asked me if travel in Italy was possible with that sort of diet restriction. I told him I'm sure it was but I'm not sure how difficult it would be. Has anyone here traveled in Italy with a similar diet restriction?
Posted by
Edmonton, Alberta
797 posts
I can only speak to the gluten free restriction. Celiac disease is quite common in Italy, all children are tested before kindergarten, so they are very aware. I used the following gluten free cards at the following link http://www.celiactravel.com/gluten-free-cards/21-italian.html
I printed several and had the waiter read it. "senza glutine", without gluten.
It was quite easy to travel gluten free; not sure about the other restrictions. Italians eat a lot of meat. Good luck.
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
881 posts
Yup. easy. All kids are tested around age 5 (as mentioned above), they are very aware, and almost all servers will have an awareness of what is and isn't gluten free on the menu. And, the chefs are aware to, and can change things.
Unlike "American" Italian food, most food served in Italy is actually fresh, with lots of fresh veggies, meats, fish, etc. Other than pasta, there's not a lot of gluten.
If your friend has iTunes, you can also download gluten free / celiac cards for your Apple device to take with you!
We traveled in May with my 70 year old Mom who is gluten/lactose, and soy intolerant with no problems.
Posted by
Wintergreen, VA, USA
41 posts
I am also GF and getting ready to leave for Italy. I purchased the book Gluten Free Italy. It has lists of restaurants that have a GF menu or are GF friendly.
Kim