Part 1 – Rome
In May I traveled my way through Italy for 2 weeks and it was a dream come true.
I spent a year researching and planning for this trip and I wanted to share some of my favorite spots for eating gluten free.
First stop, Rome!
Eating GF in Italy was so easy but the best meals we had, hands down, were in Rome.
Doing research in advance when traveling with allergies is essential. Italy surely understands gluten issues (celiac) and takes it quite seriously. I was surprised to learn how big an issue Celiac and gluten intolerance has become for Italy.
Fortunately, they have the Italian Celiac Association (AIC) that advocates and helps with trainings for restaurants and bakeries to fully understand the breadth of what safe gluten free eating is for celiacs. You can look for these certifications when selecting places to eat all around Italy.
Rome – arrival day
Babington’s tea house (www.babingtons.com) was our first stop once arriving. Offering all day brunch, we were happy to have some tea and snacks after almost 24 hours of travel. This unique, characteristic, old style tea house is right next to the Spanish Steps and just a few mins from Trevi Fountain. Although they did not have a vast menu for GF I did enjoy a spinach and feta sandwich on some very nice GF bread. I was disappointed that they didn’t offer gluten free scones so we decided to stop at Romeo for some gelato as dessert. Although they didn’t offer GF cones and biscuits the gelato was gluten free and amazing.
Day 2
Was spent exploring the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basillica. It was a wet day but that didn’t dampen our spirits and we even made the trip out to see the San Callisto Catacombs. The estate resting above the catacombs was beautiful even with the torrential rain.
We stopped at Mimi & Coco for lunch which was just OK and then gelato at Fiocco Di Neve (@fioccodineveroma). This gelato shop was all natural – no preservatives or artificial colours and offered both wafers and cones gluten free. It was delicious.
For dinner we headed to La Soffitta Renovatio (www.lasoffittarenovatio.com) which was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. This restaurant is AIC certified and has a full menu for gluten free items. This was hands down the best meal of our entire trip. The atmosphere, aesthetics, food and service was top notch. We enjoyed a gluten free appetizer basket of fried pizza dough, zucchini flowers and dough filled with potato. You could not tell any of it was gluten free. For my main course, and after highly anticipating an Italian gluten free pizza for months, I ordered a basic margarita. Seriously this pizza was divine. The base crust was thin with thick outer edges that were fluffy in texture. You could not tell the difference between mine or the regular. For dessert we ordered the GF brownie and coffee cupcake and the white chocolate mouse cake with black cherry heart. We left feeling stuffed and fully satisfied.
Basket full of the most delicious fried appetizers.
Day 3
First stop was Ginger (www.gingersaporiesalute.com) to fuel up before our Colosseum exploration. Had the most delicious cappuccino I had to take one to go.
The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill were amazing to see. We booked with Get Your Guide (https://www.getyourguide.com/). Our guide was knowledgeable, passionate and shared so much with us.
After a 4-hour tour we found our way to Voglia di Pizza (www.vogliadipizzaglutenfree.com), another AIC certified restaurant with a fully gluten free menu. We started off with some delicious bruschetta and then amazing pizza. Again you couldn’t tell which pizza was GF but they put a little flag in the crust to identify. This pizza crust was different to the one we had experienced the night before. It was thin, crispy and had great texture and taste. Pretty sure I devoured the entire thing.
Afternoon gelato is a must, so we headed to Elisa (@elisagelateria), and it did not disappoint. Gluten free selections as well as cones and wafers for the win.
After a bit of a revive back at the hotel we headed to Travestere to try out Mama Eat (https://www.mamaeat.com/it/). This is another AIC certified restaurant. We started with the fried cheese bites with arugula. I had their homemade fettucine with the traditional Italian tomato and olive oil sauce. It was simple, sensory, and filled me up. Of course the evening would not be complete without another gelato stop before heading back for the night. Fatamorgana Gelateria (http://www.gelateriafatamorgana.com/web/) turns natures secrets into gelato using natural raw ingredients with the Italian tradition. All of their gelatos are GF and so are their cones. One of the flavours we tried was mint gelato and it tasted just like a peppermint plant – so fresh it heightened all the senses.
The most hilarious friendly seagulls I have ever seen :)
Voglia di Pizza. Couldn't even tell the difference between the pizza's except that mine was marked with a flag.
Rome was absolutely fantastic for gluten free eating.
Summary of places to eat:
- La Soffitta Renovatio - Hands down our best meal 🥇. A basket full of Fried zucchini flowers, potato bites and fried dough, pizza and desserts all gluten free. AIC certified @lasoffittarenovatio
- Babingtons Tea House @babingtons
- Romeo for gelato (near Spanish Steps)
- Fiocco Di Neve for gelato (GF cones) @fioccodineveroma
- Ginger - the best oat milk cappuccino. So good I had to take one to go @gingersaporiesalute
- Voglia do Pizza. Thin crispy delicious pizza. AIC Certified. @voglidipizza.glutenfree
- Elisa for gelato. GF cones yummy. @elisagelateria
- Mama Eat in Travestere. Great pasta and starters. Another AIC certified restaurant. @mama_eat
- Fatamorgana Gelateria. All gelatos are gluten free including the cones. They use all natural and raw ingredients. @gelateriafatamorgana
The one place on my list that we never made it to was, La Pasticciera, but I heard good things about this place. @la_pasticciera_senzaglutine Next time!
Part 2 coming soon...