Special diet requirements

Italian culture is rather parochial about food ("what do you mean, you don't eat...?") yet, like everywhere in the world, nowadays they are becoming a lot more cosmopolitan.

There's a company called Select Wisely that produces laminated cards in any language explaining dietary restrictions. You can show the card to wait staff or even have them take it to the cook and return it to you.

https://www.selectwisely.com/

We ordered cards in French for my husband a couple of years ago and were not 100% satisfied with the translation. When we questioned the wording, Select Wisely re-did the card with better translation, no charge.

I have no dietary limitations, but multiple sources have reported that Italy is actually a very good destination for people on gluten-free diets. I know I saw a shop or two selling nothing but gluten-free products. There will even be gluten-free pastas available in some restaurants. I think you'll be pleased with your options.

As for your vegan, I think she'll be OK. For one thing, I never saw dishes containing fish listed in the vegetarian part of a menu (which does happen in Spain). Italians are really serious about the quality of their ingredients, and there's a big focus on serving what is local and fresh. There should always be good veggies on the menu. I often order a grilled-vegetable platter as a side dish in Italy. I'm nearly certain they're prepared with olive oil; they certainly didn't taste buttery. However, I'm not sure how universally-available your daughter will find protein choices that contain neither meat nor dairy/eggs. I think beans are used more in the central part of the country than farther south, but even they may often be prepared with meat for flavoring.

Still, it's a really rare restaurant that doesn't post its menu outside, which will help with your selection process. I suggest spending some quality time with Google prior to your trip so you start out with a list of some good possibilities for your daughter in each city. And think about what could work for her as a pick-me-up when others in your party stop for gelato. I'm struggling to think of a readily-available snack food that would be vegan-friendly, other than things like nuts. Perhaps slices of pizza made without cheese? I don't know how easy that would be to find, Italians being fairly traditional about their food. A good pizzeria should certainly be willing to omit the cheese from a pizza at mealtime.

Celiac disease is very common in the Italian population, including members of my family, to the point that the Italian National Health Service provides gluten free food for free to celiacs. You won't have problems finding gluten free choices, even in restaurants. Just let them know that you need CIBO SENZA GLUTINE.

Restaurants all have many vegetarian and vegan choices in their menu. Some fully vegetarian restaurants are common in most cities. Strictly vegan restaurants are less common, but they exist.

The Italian word for vegan is VEGANO, vegetarian is VEGETARIANO, celiac is CELIACO, couldn't be any simpler. No problemo is however incorrect, problem is problema (ending in 'a').

we spent nearly a month in Italy in 2014 and eat out most meals, and tried to purchase gluten free food in various supermarkets. in tourist and non tourist areas. we found some options and managed to survive. ( I only try and avoid gluten, not celiac) but we had to really look hard for options. ie: gluten free pasta etc. we were not overwhelmed with obvious choices, that specifically said GF.
interestingly we found it much better in the UK !

So good luck I am sure you will be OK.
Try searching on this forum on pervious posts, I am sure this topic has been covered before.

Thanks for all the comments. Special diets always take some preparation and research before heading to any new location; Italy is no exception. Since this is our first time travelling in Europe with these dietary needs I appreciate the language translation and other suggestions. I will also spend some time checking out previous posts. Many thanks.

Laura-Lee, eating gluten-free is easy in Italy. Follow Roberto's advice. If you can make reservations at restaurants a day ahead, many places will be able to prepare gluten-free pasta, but many places can do it on the spot. Some menus will have gluten-free items marked on the menu.

Voglia di Pizza in Roma has both types of pizza and pasta.

Many gelaterie will have soy-based as well as gluten-free options. Bars will often have soya options for coffee drinks. For pizza by the slice, there is pizza bianca (pizza crust with oil, rosemary, salt), and many non-cheese and non-meat alternatives. Sit-down pizzerie also have lots of options.

You can find gluten-free snacks at most supermarkets and at some pharmacies, in a special section. The German Schar brand is very popular all over Europe.

Your party should have no problem eating your way through Italy!

If going to Florence, Ciro & Sons on via Giglio can make anything on the menu gluten-free. Cousin--who has celiac--visited there last year and was thrilled to be set up with gluten-free pizza and beer.

I am a Celiac as well. As Roberto mentioned children are tested and Italians are very aware of it.

I traveled in 2014 and did not have any problems. I carried the plastic laminated cards with me but nearly every menu where we ate mentioned CIBO SENZA GLUTINE. If it did not we would ask and the wait staff knew what we were talking about. I never had problems in my two week trip. Toward the end of my trip, I started eating the bread and did NOT have any reaction to the gluten. I normally have stomach issues when glutened but had none.

On my vacation last year , I did not mention gluten and did not have any problems in two weeks eating bread. My wife and I believe that is due to the purity of the food in Europe versus here. But yes, I know I should not have but I love bread and enjoyed it.

Definitely take the cards and enjoy eating out.

Here's a New York Times article, detailing Italian awareness of celiac disease and at the end including links for further information: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/travel/gluten-free-dining-in-italy.html?_r=0

The topic comes up very often here on Rick Steves. Here are some prior threads on the subject; inevitably there's lots of duplication, but also some different recommendations for specific restaurants and the like.

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

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/gluten-free-in-italy-8cbe8f84-d36f-4d52-b7dd-6305aaf9e030

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rome-thanksgiving-week-2014-gluten-free-too

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/gluten-free-in-europe-11c1f474-b801-4aed-bd02-a7d09c892f05

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/gluten-free-in-italy-b9c7c0de-7fe0-4e00-aec7-02c1208a39df

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/gluten-free-in-milan-possible-or-pipe-dream

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/food-drink/celiac-travel

On the subject of being vegan in Italy, that has also come up before, and again, the consensus is that it's very doable. Here's recent thread; in it are links to other threads with more resources: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/vegan-vegetarian-food-in-france-and-italy

If you still have concerns, Pam (who posted in the thread above) is vegan, send her a private message if she does not answer here.

My husband has celiac disease and, generally, gluten-free lunches and dinners (especially pasta, some pizza) in Italy were handled well by restaurants during our trip in October 2016. However, if breakfasts are included at the hotels you have booked, it's a good idea to contact them directly in advance to see how they accommodate gluten-free requirements. We only book hotels where we receive a positive response to this request which outlines specific menu items that are gluten-free (i.e. that they use a separate toaster for GF bread, etc. to avoid cross-contamination). My husband also brings pre-measured zip-lock bags with his GF Nature's Path cereal (so he only needs to add milk and a sliced banana) at the hotel breakfast room. We travel in Europe with cards from http://www.celiactravel.com/cards/ in any of the languages required for our travels.

As mentioned above by Zoe, Voglia Di Pizza at Campo de' Fiori in Rome has the best GF pizza!

Voglia di Pizza is on the street that leads to Campo de' Fiori (from via Arenula), not in the Campo itself, as I recall. They put little flag markers on the gluten-free pizza.

For breakfast, I take rice cakes (not a fan of most gluten-free bread) to the breakfast room. I buy them at a pharmacy or supermarket.

I appreciate these replies. I must avoid gluten (at least in the US) and all milk products, and am mostly but not strictly vegetarian. I had heard that Italy takes celiac disease seriously, but didn't know how well I'd do avoiding BOTH gluten and dairy.

I have also read that Celiac is taken quite seriously in Italy. Here is one resource, and I encourage you to peruse blogs to read others' experiences. http://www.legalnomads.com/gluten-free/italy/
As a 30+ year vegetarian (and occasional pescatarian) who has visited Italy five times, I fear your daughter may have much more difficulty. Italy can be a dream for vegetarians, but avoiding dairy is a challenge. Depending on her age (*fingers crossed she is a teen who can take some of this on for you), she may need to be encouraged to do some research on her own into what she will look for on menus as well as how to state her food preferences. Because of the regional variation in Italian cuisine, which can be quite profound, it helps to check out cookbooks from the areas you are visiting. If you wish to share some of the places you are visiting, perhaps some of us can suggest specific dishes. I am sure the cities will be easier for her, but if you were planning on small villages, it would be especially beneficial to rent apartments so you can take care of some of your own meals.
good luck!

As Harold indicates, I'm vegan and have successfully traveled to Italy on my own and with a few Rick Steves' tours. I felt Italy was pretty easy for finding vegan food altho I can tell you by the end of the trips I was really, really, really sick of zucchini and eggplant. I do carry a vegan card I downloaded free from the Toronto Vegetarian Association. http://veg.ca/traveling-abroad/

If I can't figure anything out from the menu, I hand the card to the waiter for help as my Italian is pretty awful. I've had some look at the card and point stuff out on the menu, then I've had others take the card to the back to the kitchen, then come back and point things out that would work. In general, servers in Italy have been extremely helpful. I'm not fussy about wine being vegan so I go ahead with red wine!

I usually have a couple of fall-back menu items. I have found that fresh pasta often has egg in it so I go for the other pasta or for gluten free pasta which usually does not have egg. I will order Pasta all'arribiata (pretty spicy) or pasta with plain sauce or olive oil and sometimes will add a side of veggies ( almost always zucchini and eggplant!!). I also order pizza with no cheese. Sometimes I am questioned on that, and assure them that yes, senza formaggio.

There are a couple of soups that work well too. You'll need to ask the server to make sure they are not made with beef broth but look for that as well. Salads, of course, are pretty easy. If I am going for a picnic, I have easily found pre-made salads in grocery stores that are vegan, altho I usually don't use the dressing.

Most gelato shops have sorbetto which is dairy free. I have gotten some absolutely delicious sorbet made from seasonal fruits ranging from white peaches to pear to green apple. Wow, is all I can say.

With a little practice, I think your daughter will do fine as a vegan. I also have Rick's phrase book for help with menu translation. I just keep my I am a vegan card clipped to it so it is easy to find.

Wow! I want to thank all of you for the extensive responses you've provided. Lots of great suggestions and additional resources and links I will check out.
My daughter, who is 19, is both vegan and has a gluten intolerance, although not celiac like myself. I think the many options you've noted will help and she has conceded that she may have to be a bit flexible in her vegan food choices (i.e. She just may have to eat that fresh pasta made with egg!). The GF will save her, I think, or at least provide more options.
We are planning to be in Italy 17 days with our overnight stays currently planned for Rome, Siena, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Venice. Have to make the most of our short time since we are coming from Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Many thanks again for your thoughtful contributions as we plan for May 15, 2017!
Laura-Lee

What they often say on cooking shows (mind you, I can't vouch for the accuracy) is that pasta is made with egg in the north but with water in the south. I don't know where the dividing line is supposed to be, though, and I wonder whether that applies specifically to the plain (not filled) pastas. I think perhaps things like ravioli dough would contain eggs even in the south, but I'm just speculating.

Granita is a sorbet-like frozen dessert that isn't supposed to contain any dairy. Its original home is Sicily and that's where you'll find the best, but I've seen it elsewhere in Italy.

I was in Florence last February and found a store that appeared to be just gluten free. I took a photo of it but did not write the address down. My family members have celiac, but they were not with us then.
It is called Starbene gluten free gold Rastaceria Pizza Paneterria

In the window you can see a freezer case with prepared gf items, packaged items all gf on the shelves. I think the line of people inside were there for deli style gf food. (Not sure as I did not go in) But on the right side of the glass door entry was a long narrow sign that said Gluten free from top to bottom.

PS
I tend to spot GF things on menus and stores as we have had this since 2003 in our family. We are traveling to Venice, Siena, Florence Rome just before you so I may take notes and post them in a thread here.

Soft, fresh pasta (fettuccine, tortellini, ravioli, for example) contains eggs. Dried pasta (spaghetti and variations like bucatini; rigatoni, ziti) does not, at least most of the time. When in doubt, just ask.