Gluten-Free in Italy

Just take me to the recs.

Italy. The promised land of cuisine: pizza and pasta, bruschetta and focaccia. Sounds amazing…unless your body has a problem with wheat.

I’m here to tell you: absolutely don’t let this idea put you off of traveling in Italy. It’s 2025, baby, and we’ve got options now.

The great gluten-free revolution has reached Italy. Many restaurants now offer gluten-free options for pasta and pizza crusts and/or point out which of their dishes are gluten-free. Finding the options can be a bit tricky, since restaurants often don’t advertise the fact. Some places will only mention substitutes as a footnote in the menu, like Pizzeria alle Carrette in Rome. Other places, I had to just ask the staff. Google Maps user reviews can offer clues about substitute availability if it’s not explicitly mentioned elsewhere, since many smaller restaurants don’t have much of an online presence anyways.

Italian cuisine has plenty of delicious dishes that are naturally gluten-free. Fried artichokes, mushroom risotto, and parmigiana di melanzane will pamper your taste buds without destroying the rest of you. Wine, might I add, is also gluten-free. And of course there’s gelato, which by now has spread to all corners of the world but, like espresso and pizza, still tastes the best in Italy. Some gelato places even cater to us gluten-freebies with special cone options. Gelato di Natura, my second favorite gelateria in Venice, had individually-wrapped gluten-free waffle cones for a small surcharge. (My #1 favorite gelateria in all of Italy, Bacaro del Gelato, proved that gelato needs no cone).

If you’re more of a cook-in traveler, European grocery stores have you covered. They typically have a small section devoted to “-free” foods including lactose, gluten, and sugar. Even tiny city-center markets usually have this section, so ask an employee if you can’t find it. The Italian phrase to look for is senza glutine, and many major pasta and snack brands now have their own gluten-free versions that taste basically the same as the original. Infusing local flavor into your home-cooked meals is as simple as finding a local farmer’s stand: fresh Italian tomatoes, citrus, garlic, and veggies abound. Local spice shops are another option, like Venice’s Pastificio Giacomo Rizzo, which sells a spicy Venetian spaghetti spice mix that forever changed my opinion on how home cooked pasta sauce should taste. As a final hot tip, if you can’t find senza glutine foods in the grocery stores, check the drug stores. In addition to sunscreen and other sundries, drug stores usually have a special dietary needs section (vegan, sugar-free, lactose free, etc. can also be found here). “dm” is a popular German drug store brand that’s also found in Italy, and they nearly always carry special food items.

My final word of advice: if your online research finds a delicious place that fits your dietary restrictions, book a table. Doing all this footwork only to show up and find out they’re full for the evening is no fun. That’s how I end up hangry, wandering the streets trying to find a nearby substitute, until I end up at the closest grocery store. Like I said, though, that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Fresh food available in Italy

A smattering of specific recommendations

The following are tried-and-true restaurants, cafes, and gelaterias in Rome and Venice that I’d recommend to anyone, including my own mother, whether they’re gluten-vores or not. I’m perhaps not a sophisticated foodie, but I do have 35 years of eating experience and would happily go back to all of these places.

One footnote: I am gluten-sensitive but not Coeliac. If you’re the latter, take my recs with a grain of salt.

Rome

Lunch/Dinner

Pizzeria alle Carrette
Wood-fired pizza with gluten-free crust. Located in the district just across the street from the Roman Forum, they seem to attract a healthy mix of locals and travelers.

La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali
A family-run tavern with a reputation for mostly-traditional Roman food, they can sub any pastas for gluten-free and also had suitable bread. I had gluten-free spaghetti with seabass, orange, and pistachio, followed by a flourless chocolate and almond torte.

La Soffitta Renovatio
I was wandering the colorful restaurant district between the Castel Sant’ Angelo and Vatican City when I was gobsmacked by a hankering for carbonara. I sat streetside on a lovely February afternoon and devoured a fried artichoke (seasonal) and rich gluten-free carbonara.

La Salumeria
The place to be for charcuterie boards near Castel Sant’Angelo.

Escosazio
Quick organic & healthy fare with vegan options: mainly smoothies, rice and vegetable bowls, and salads.

Carbonara and fried artichoke at La Soffitta Renovatio & flourless torte at La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali

Gelato

Okay, I know I said gelato is inherently gluten-free, but this wouldn’t be a list of Italy restaurant recommendations without a gelato section.

Frigidarium
You know the gelato’s gonna be good when the line wraps around the block and half the patrons speak Italian. The gelato can be dipped in white or dark chocolate sauce, but I chose au naturale.

Torcè
If you’re looking for a unique roster of flavors, this one’s it. Alongside the expected berries and chocolates, they also serve things like cacio e pepe, habanero, and rice flavors! It’s a bit out of the way near Circus Maximus, but the park is a great place to chill and people-watch while inhaling your [un]conventional treat.

Fatamorgana Monti
Located in the Cavour district, they use natural ingredients and artisanal creation methods. Options include gluten-, milk-, egg-, nut-, and sugar-free.

Torcè at Circus Maximus & Frigidarium

Coffee

La Casa del Caffè Tazza d’Oro
Granita coffee. Try it. TRY IT. This sorbet-like coffee “drink” is espresso blended with shaved ice and sugar, then sandwiched between thick cream. It sounds simple, but I think I had a spiritual experience as I parked myself outside within view of the Pantheon and spooned up this delightful creation. Or maybe it was just a sugar-and-caffeine rush.

Bar Fondi
An unassuming little place near Termini station where they sling some mean coffee. I stopped here every day for my first daily cappuccino con soia.

Il Vittoriano
Okay, the coffee isn’t really the draw here, it’s the view. It’s completely free to enter this monument and climb up to the terrace. You’ll only have to order if you want to sit awhile.

Granita coffee & view from Il Vittoriano terrace

Venice

My Venetian gastronomic focus was on wine, gelato, and brunch. Our later meals were mostly hostel-made.

Breakfast/Brunch

Combo
I stayed in this former-convent-turned-ho(s)tel and noticed its attached bar/cafe/restaurant is bougie enough to attract both travelers and locals. I was a big fan of the quality of the fare and the relatively cheap prices. The walled inner courtyard is an island of calm, and there’s a small private balcony out back that overlooks a quiet canal.

Puppa Bar Venezia
This place looks a bit like a 70s diner that hasn’t been updated since, but it’s only because they focus all their efforts on the food. It’s one of those hand-written-menu places with dishes based on ingredient availability and chef’s whims. I had an inherently gluten-free breakfast, but according to a review, they do offer gluten-free pasta too.

sullaluna libreria & bistrot
Located a few doors down from my favorite gelateria ever (Bacaro del Gelato) this is cute canalside cafe reels in the bibliophiles and veg[etari]ans.

Combo: espresso on the private terrace & courtyard