Gluten free travel in Italy is quite easy! Imagine yourself eating the best gluten free pizza on a beach with aperol spritz in hand.! I did it and it was amazing! This is everything I did to travel Italy as a coeliac….
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Does Italians understand what gluten free is?
Italians in general are very knowledgeable on coeliac disease and the gluten free diet. Having said this not all restaurants will offer gluten free options. I found hotels were excellent, everywhere we stayed had a gluten free basket of goodies for me to enjoy! I just had to ask if it wasn’t with the breakfast area and they brought it to me.
Do most restaurants offer gluten free options?
Yes. In almost every menu I looked at there was a gluten free option. It may not be a pizza as they do take this very seriously. If they don’t have another oven usually they will not offer a gf pizza due to cross contamination. I was told this multiple times. Often the options will be meat and vegetables or a pasta. I know meat and vegetables sound boring but trust me in Italy they aren’t!
Can you buy gluten free pizza?
Yes! I found so many places that did offer gluten free pizza. Some will buy in the base, others make their own bases but usually most taste great. There was only one I can think of that really wasn’t good. My biggest tip is to read reviews on the place you are going to.
Can you find gluten free gelato?
Yes! Most gelato was gluten free when you select the option of cup instead of a cone. There were even some gelaterias that were 100% gluten free and others that offered gluten free cones for an extra charge. I always ask the server which flavours are gluten free but most also have the signage on the labels. I just double check so they might change out the scoop to a new one.
Gluten free translation
I found most people understood some English but I always said gluten free in Italian which is ‘senza glutine’. As soon as I said ‘excuse me is there senza glutine pizza?’ I would get a strong yes or no answer. It was never an issue with understanding what I was looking for senza glutine is very well known. I did have the translation on my phone ready but I didn’t need it.
My best gluten free finds by location
Italy is a big country, here are my favourite gluten free finds in the places I have been so far. I will keep updating this as I go!
Sicily Gluten Free –
We went to Ragusa, Taormina, Ortigia/Syracuse. These are my favourite places to eat in each town. I mostly cooked for myself in the evenings and ate breakfast before going out. For dinner I was pizza crazy in Italy so I really only bought that when I was
Gluten free Ragusa
I got a margarita pizza Senza Glutine from Pizzeria Del Corso. This is one of the best pizzas I had in Italy. Firstly it is big, the crust is fluffy and chewy at the same time. The topping was excellent and there was enough of it without being too much. The taste was honestly exceptional. The best part is that they cook it in a special silver foil tray that is then put in the pizza box. It is comforting to know that it has been kept very separate on surfaces and also easy to identify when taking away. The extra charge is 3€ and it is well worth it.
Gluten free Taormina
The best gluten free pizza is at Porta Messina Ristorante and Pizzeria! The surcharge is 5€ so not the cheapest but it is so worth it. I was recommended it by a local coeliac and she knew what she was talking about!
You have to go to Pasticceria Gelateria D’Amore it is a beautiful little pasticceria! They are tucked away out of the centre of town behind the Porta Messina restaurant just mentioned. They sell incredible almond paste cookies, a Sicilian speciality! If you ask for the gluten free ones they will show you the options. They are separately wrapped in 5 flavours, almond, mandarin, orange, lemon and pistachio. I had orange, lemon and almond. I LOVED them!
My favourites were the lemon and orange as the almond one was slightly marzipan flavour but I wish I had bought a kg of them. This is how they are sold-I paid 1€ for 1 cookie each time. Next time I will just buy a kg of them as I was completely obsessed! They are light with a slight crumb, great zest flavour and not too sweet. Just perfect to carry in my bag until the next time we stopped for coffee.
They also make incredible gelato! I had the noisette (my favourite flavour) and came back every day for a gelato and cookie. There are no gluten free cones so I just had the cup. It was so good.
Gluten Free Ortigia Syracuse –
I got gluten free pizza at Pizzeria da Mario which had a 4€ surcharge. It was really nice but not amazing. The price is pretty cheap so that makes up for it!
Pizzeria Schiticchio and La Sciccheria – Ristorante, Pizzeria both do excellent gluten free pizzas and only charge 3€ surcharges. I would recommend both of them!
Gluten free cannoli at Mangano Sapuri Siciliano store is incredible! They were so kind and had separately stored gluten free cannoli and opened fresh cream for me. The taste was delicious! It cost 3.50€ which is more expensive and smaller than the normal cannoli but it is exciting to be able to to try local foods and the taste is worth it! They also do free tasting of limoncello and sell many boutique local products. Just ask which products are gluten free and they will help you, they sell some delicious gluten free biscuits. Try their delicious gelato and granite as well.
There is an awesome gluten free arancini store neat the markets, called Arancina Gluten Free. The balls are a good size when compared to regular ones, although they cost 8€ and the normal gluten ones cost around 3€.
Right near here is an excellent café selling gluten free options of granite, gelato and more. It is called Levante Gelato Artigianale and really great to visit.
Puglia Gluten Free –
Puglia is a big area but these are the best finds I had in the towns we visited, Polignano a Mare, Oustuni, Locorotondo, Santa Maria, Alberobello and Bari.
Gluten Free Bari
There are a lot of gluten free food places in Bari. I saw so many gf bakeries and restaurant options…unfortunately we visited after lunch on a Sunday when everything was closed. Not ideal. The only thing I could find was a gluten free cheeseburger in Mc Donald’s. Being Australian and that this is not available in Australia I was pretty excited.
Gluten free Locorotondo
Locorotondo was a great place to base ourselves in Puglia. We stayed here for 4 nights to visit the area. Our accommodation had a great kitchen so we decided to stock up at a supermarket and cook there.
We searched for the best supermarket…ie the one with the most gluten free in it. We found it at Eurospar “Le Vele”. Now this is not the most central supermarket and we didn’t have a car so we did do the 1km walk there and back…twice. In this supermarket you will find the best range of gluten free products! There is so much Schar..my favourite gluten free brand. There is a gluten free shelving area with pastas, bread products and sweets. The best part is the freezer, there is a whole section of gluten free frozen foods! There was Schar pizza, pizzettes, fish fingers, chicken nuggets and more. I was so shocked, it was very exciting to try products I hadn’t seen before.
Gluten Free Polignano a Mare
Gluten free pizza
Polignano a Mare is one of my favourite places! It is just beautiful. The BEST gluten free pizza is at Il Quadrifoglio – Polignano a Mare (they also have a restaurant in Bari.) The crust and base is excellent and the topping is perfect. I was obsessed with them. Sadly before trying them I got a gf pizza from a restaurant a few doors down and while the staff were lovely the pizza was not. It was the worst I have ever tried. Please don’t make this mistake!
Supermarkets
The best supermarket is a really cute little family owned store. We went to so many bigger supermarkets before going to there and wished we hadn’t wasted time. Head straight to Market F.lli Lamanna. You will find gluten free options, mini aperol spritz pre-mixes, snacks, a deli and the loveliest family running the store.
Gluten free gelato
There are lots of gelaterias offering gluten free cones. They usually cost about 3€ extra. I actually didn’t bother with these stores although they are all very cute and cool looking. The best one is Bella Blu Gelateria, but we preferred to go to The Super Mago del Gelo Mario Campanella. It is such a cool place. They sell coffees, granite and gelato. One of the first in Polignano a Mare, very traditional service and where locals go. The serving size is really good and the price is excellent. We got very decent sized medium cups for 2.5€. This was a bargain. I tried the bacio flavour and became so obsessed I had it twice a day.
We were recommended Bar Turismo by a local but didn’t make it there. Apparently they make it as per the original recipe using raw eggs and are one of the only places to still do so. The local we spoke to said it is the best gelato in the area. Definitely something to try next time we come here!
Amalfi Coast Gluten Free
The Amalfi Coast is so special. Just one of the most beautiful places we have ever been, it really doesn’t disappoint.
Gluten Free Positano
We stayed in Sorrento and just came into Positano during the day, I was totally prepared to not eat while there as I thought it would be too expensive but it wasn’t really.
Cute little deli in Positano
We found the best little market in Positano that has a deli in the back. They sell produce, drinks and staples at good prices and the deli sells fresh made sandwiches and hot foods. Latteria Mini market sits on a hill overlooking the beautiful town of Positano. The pretty little patio area has tables to eat at and enjoy the scene.
I thought I would have to wait until dinner or eat a snack I had brought from our hotel, I was wrong! They have a shelf totally dedicated to gluten free foods. I asked the lady working there and she very kindly found me a small pack of bread, exactly 2 slices. They cut me a perfect piece of mozzarella from the deli and some fresh shaved prosciutto, warmed it up to make the most delicious gluten free sandwich. I was thrilled! As a coeliac I often find myself missing out or eating packaged food as there are no options within my budget. This was such a great find!
Other GF options
I have heard of a few other places you can pick up a cheap meal, Pergola of Bar Buca Di Bacco being a good one. It apparently has slices of pizza for 5€ and reasonable drinks. Collina Bakery is another option, I popped into it to take a quick look. It was more pricy than Latteria and it was so busy I could barely get in the door. I did see a GF sandwich wrapped up in the fridge and the food and drinks looked great but I would prefer the charm of Latteria every time!
Gluten Free Sorrento
The best gluten free pizza in Sorrento (and possibly the best I have ever had anywhere) is Ristorate S. Antonino! They were very careful to make sure I knew which pizza was mine even writing coeliac on the box. My gluten eating partner ordered a regular one which he thought was incredible too.
They have an excellent restaurant where you can sit to enjoy or do as we did and get takeaway to enjoy on the balcony of your room! Gluten free dreams coming true right here!
Lake Como Gluten Free
Gluten Free Menaggio
We didn’t eat out in Menaggio but we did find a little supermarket, Conad City – Supermarket It has a little bit of everything and there is a good gluten free shelf area.
Gluten Free Como
Como town has lots of dining options, I grabbed a pizza to takeaway from Il Pinzimonio and it was great. The staff immediately knew what I needed. Within 15 minutes I had a beautiful gluten free pizza!
Sardinia Gluten Free
Sardinia’s capital has a lot of gluten free options! We had accommodation with a kitchen so used that for breakfasts and some other meals.
Gluten Free Cagliari
Supermarkets
The best supermarkets we went to were Lidl, Superpan and Iperpan. They were all very close together but they were a little out of town. We caught the trams and buses out there and stocked up! I found Iperpan and Superpan had the best selections for gluten free foods. If you are staying in the centre of Cagliari then the Crai there is really good too. The COOP supermarkets also stock gluten free breads, gf stuffed tortellini, gf pasta, crackers etc.
Specialty gluten free stores!
There are also a few coeliac shops in Cagliari. The Gluten Free Store and CELIAbbiamo – Prodotti senza glutine.
I went to CELIAbbiamo – Prodotti senza glutine and bought some bread and stuffed tortellini. They are a tiny little store that only stocks gluten free products but the pricing is a little higher than the regular supermarkets.
Next trip I will try The Gluten Free Store as I think it is much bigger. They only stock gluten free products and from what I have see they have a massive range. I think there would be some hard to find products in there!
Aperitivo
Aperitivo is a big deal in Cagliari. We found the cheapest one at 100 Montaditos it was really good for only 3.5€ each! They didn’t come with any nibbles but they were good.
Restaurants
The best gluten free pizza is from the 100% gluten free restaurant Man.Gia! I had one every single night for dinner! They make their own bases and they taste exceptionally good! We took them down to the little local park nearby and ate them there. I can not express how good they are, you have to try them if you are in Cagliari!
Veri Pan Café is a gluten free café in Cagliari. It has croissants among other items and I will definitely be heading there on my next visit, sadly I found it as we were leaving!
I hope you enjoy your trip to Italy, don’t be scared! Italians know about gluten free diets and are so helpful. You will find something in every town you visit. I hope you will get to try some of these recommendations as they are all fabulous! If you have any questions please leave a comment I am happy to help!
Check out our blogs on our adventures in Italy! We love Italy and visit as often as possible.
Where to next:
Visit Locorotondo, the prettiest town in Puglia
A short guide to Cisternino the most charming town in Puglia
How to visit Positano on a budget
How to plan a perfect day trip to Capri from Sorrento
Is 3 days in Sorrento Italy enough?
Our ultimate 5 day Itinerary for the Amalfi Coast
Positano Travel Guide: Is Positano worth visiting in 2023?
Why Casa Marino is the best accommodation in Sorrento!
How to travel Lake Como on a budget
Perfect Lake Como two day itinerary
Why you should go to Menaggio when visiting Lake Como
Hotel Garni Corona in Menaggio is your dream Lake Como stay!
Como city everything you need to know for your Lake Como trip
Sheraton Lake Como is the best place to stay for your perfect Lake Como trip!
