Hi!
Here are friendly links to previous blog posts:
#1 Welcome to Cornell in Rome Fall 2011
#2 Restaurants in Rome (Italian food)
#4 Bakeries in Rome (the good ones)
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Looking for gluten-free restaurants in Rome? Believe or not, Italy is one of the most gluten-free friendly countries in the world, though many travelers don’t realize it.
Italians are well informed about celiac disease because 1) many Italians are tested for celiac disease at early age, and 2) the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (AIC), the Italian government and a few major Italian companies that sell gluten-free products have promoted awareness and understanding of celiac disease.*
(*Source: The Gluten-Free Guides. This is a link that introduces a book called The Gluten-Free Guide to Italy; purchasing the book could be the perfect solution for your five-month stay here)
Here is a lifesaver for you during visits to random restaurants and such: an Italian foreign language restaurant card which enables celiacs / coeliacs to tell the hotel, cafe or restaurant where they are eating out about their food requirements for a gluten free diet.
(Source: Celiactravel.com)
You can also download the card from the website in many other languages as well.
Although you may feel like you just downloaded a free five-months-worth of health insurance, I would suggest you not to feel completely safe- Some restaurants still might say no to you! Well, in that case, here is a map of gluten free restaurants in Rome:
This list is just some suggestions – there are many more good restaurants to be discovered! Click on the links provided– they will lead you to the restaurant websites or indicate the location on Google Maps.
1. Il Capriccio di Trastevere
2. Scaletta
Via della Maddalena 46/49
3. La Pilotta da Mario (ristorante pizzeria) (Vatican)
Via di Porta Cavalleggeri 35/37
tel. 06 63.26.43
www.lapilotta.com
This place is actually really good (even for non-gluten-intolerant customers too). Not expensive, not fancy, but goooood. Nice restaurant to go when you visit Vatican city!
4. Porto di Ripetta
Meditteranean, specialty: fish
5. Ristorante Fenix
Sat, Sun closed
Meditteranean. Gluten free, vegetarian available
6. Il Viaggio
7. Il Margutta Ristor Arte
A quite nice restaurant but very good. (Margutta is a fancy area near the Spanish Steps) Vegetarian, gluten-free available
Brunch €12-15
8. Casa Bleve
Via del Teatro Valle 48 (near the Pantheon)
A famous and highly-rated restaurant. Don´t forget to mention senza glutine! Dinner could be terribly expensive- lunch always costs less.
9. Restaurant Moma
Traditional Italian
Original sources:
Celiac Travel (http://www.celiactravel.com)
Ristosito (http://www.ristosito.com), an amazing Italian restaurant search engine that helps you find all the eateries under specific criteria. If you are comfortable reading basic Italian text, try looking for places yourselves here, especially when you are going on school trips to other cities in Italy!
Gluten-free Restaurants in Rome Blog (http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-restaurants-in-rome-roma-italy/)
Buon appetito a tutti!
– Sunny K