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Prato Celiac-Friendly Dining?

Posted by on

A quick question for the rock stars of the Rick Steves Italy forum: What are some celiac-friendly dining options in the historic center of Prato? I will be taking a sightseeing day trip to Prato during my stay in Florence next month, and would like to find a nice spot for lunch. Unfortunately, web searches have yielded few results, and what spots I did find are on the outskirts of Prato.

Many of you on the Italy forum have been very gracious in providing links to past threads about celiac-friendly dining options in the bigger tourist destinations like Rome and Florence. I greatly appreciate the help with those lists as I've been planning this upcoming trip.

Looking forward to the suggestions, and thank you!

Posted by
17580 posts

I have celiac but do not seek out gluten-free restaurants when in Italy. Most places will offer numerous choices that I can enjoy, such as risotto, salads, grilled fish, and vegetable side dishes. That way my husband can enjoy his pizza or pasta.

Posted by
1057 posts

I would recommend doing what a friend with celiac disease did while vacationing in Italy. Rather than seeking out specific restaurants, she carried a laminated card which stated which foods she absolutely couldn’t eat and then showed the card to waiters in restaurants where she was dining. She had absolutely no problems and raved about how great the food was.

Posted by
996 posts

Second the suggestion to carry a list of foods you cannot eat, translated into Italian. There are a couple of things I do not eat, and I always try to learn the correct words to say no this or no that when I'm in another country.

Posted by
123 posts

Thanks to all of your for the thoughtful response, much appreciated! This upcoming trip is my first international travel since the recent celiac diagnosis, and while many people have shared positive stories about their Italy travel experiences with celiac, I do admit to a level of trepidation.

Thank you for the encouraging feedback, Lola. To clarify, I'm not limiting research to 100% gluten-free restaurants; more so, was interested to get Prato historic center restaurant recommendations that would accommodate celiac menu choices. Researching Prato restaurants in general has proved to be a mixed bag of limited results, and all suggestions are welcome.

Excellent suggestion about the laminated card describing the celiac disease food limitations, Patricia and aquamarinesteph, and great minds think alike. I downloaded a similar card last week in preparation. I have it saved to my phone, and based on your recommendation, will also get some extra hard copies laminated - thank you!

Posted by
123 posts

Thank you for the website referral, Roberto! I will research restaurant suggestions on that site. I appreciate your help!

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