Welcome to the enchanting region of Tuscany, where rolling hills, historic cities, and culinary delights await you. In this gluten-free travel guide I share the best spots in Tuscany, from Cinque Terre to Montepulciano and from the coast to Umbria, including Florence, Sienna and Lucca. Tuscany offers many gluten-free options if you know where to look!
I'll navigate you through the best gluten-free dining experiences Tuscany has to offer so you can enjoy the authentic flavors of the region without having to worry about dietary restrictions. You'll benefit from my personal insights gained from exploring Tuscany's gluten-free options. As a fellow traveler with Celiac disease (20+ years), I understand the importance of finding reliable and delicious options while traveling. I'll share my favorite spots and must-try dishes.
In my experience the larger cities in Italy are well informed on Celiac and cross-contamination risks. The safest places would be 100% gluten free shops and restaurants that I listed first in the guide. Other than that your best bet are the places that are AiC accredited. AiC is the Associazione Italiana Celiachia, the Italian national celiac society that checks the knowledge of the restaurants of celiac disease and visits to check if the restaurants are following the necessary protocol for preparing gluten free food.
I do want to note that even though there are great gluten free places and options listed here, it is always important to communicate and ask questions everywhere and every time you go! Especially if you have Celiac disease, having a celiac translation card with you helps to communicate the risks of cross contamination and the do's and don'ts. For all restaurants it's important to go through the following three steps:
1) Always inform staff about your diet and which ingredients you absolutely must avoid
2) Always ask for the ingredients of the dishes you intend to eat and, if in doubt, avoid eating the dish itself.
3) Briefly remember the rules for the preparation of gluten-free dishes to avoid cross-contamination and discuss this with the restaurant.
Always trust your judgment and advocate for yourself.
I really had a lot of fun researching for my own trip and hope to have helped you with the preparation for your travels. I wish you a great trip and all the best safe food experiences. Please let me know if this information was helpful to you and if you found other places that you want to share.
Safe travels, Fien
