3 Important Things to Remember if You’re a Celiac Coming to Italy
So you’re planning a trip to Italy? Yay, that’s so exciting! Italy truly is one of the best countries for celiacs to visit. You’ll find that we have tons of celiac-safe restaurants, lots of gluten-free products in grocery stores, and there’s just better overall awareness and understanding of the disease. Hence why I moved here!
Before you head out on your adventure, here are 3 important things to remember as a celiac coming to Italy.
1). Yes, many people speak English…but you should still know some Italian.
It’s true, many Italians speak at least a bit of English. Especially if you are sticking to major cities like Florence, Rome, and Milan. But that does not mean that you should 100% rely on getting by with English.
First of all, it’s a respect thing. You’re a visitor, it falls on your shoulders to adapt to Italian culture, not the other way around. Therefore, it is much more your responsibility to communicate with locals in Italian than it is their responsibility to communicate with you in English. At the very minimum, you should be greeting people (ciao, salve, buongiorno), saying please and thank you (per favore, grazie), and saying goodbye (ciao, arrivederci).
And as a celiac, you should know some basic terms like gluten-free (senza glutine), celiac (celiaca/o), etc. Check out this blog post to learn more about celiac-specific Italian vocabulary. Though I don’t expect you to communicate your celiac needs 100% in Italian with the accuracy you do in English, knowing some basic words helps you feel safer and more confident. Beyond that, I recommend bringing a celiac translation card to make sure there are no miscommunications. My all-time favorite is this one from Equal Eats.
2). The pharmacies have got you covered.
Did you know that most Italian pharmacies carry at least a few gluten-free snacks?
Pharmacies here are not like the CVS or Walgreens you’re used to. They pretty much only sell medications, supplements, and skincare. You won’t find aisles and aisles of makeup, candy, birthday cards, batteries, etc. But, they will typically have a few gluten-free items like protein bars or crackers. Why? Because gluten-free food is a medical necessity for celiacs!
So if you ever find yourself approaching a food crisis (let’s say you’re on a walking tour and starting to get very hangry but aren’t close to a celiac-safe restaurant), I recommend ducking into a pharmacy and asking what they have. Note: this is just for when you’re in a pinch…obviously the bigger grocery stores are a far better option for finding real gluten-free treats. Ooh, and did you know that a lot of major cities have a dedicated gluten-free grocery store for celiacs? Milan is one of them! Learn more about said GF grocery and all the other celiac-safe gems of Milan here.
3). Do your research and planning in advance!
As I’m sure you’re well aware by now, traveling with celiac disease requires a lot of research, planning, and preparation ahead of time. It practically becomes a part-time job to plan a celiac-safe trip, especially abroad!
I know this pain well. Before “settling down” in Italy, I was a full-time nomad living out of a backpack and a carry-on suitcase. I was in a new country basically every month. All this to say, I quickly became a pro at planning celiac-safe travel. And since moving to Italy I’ve translated those skills to learning the ins and outs of the celiac community here. I know (and have eaten at) all the best celiac-safe restaurants, have personal relationships with the chefs, and I’m in a unique position being able to speak both English and Italian.
If you’d like a hand in your trip planning…so it doesn’t become a full-time job…I’d love to help you map out an awesome celiac-safe Italian adventure. You can learn more about my custom celiac travel consulting services here.
Happy traveling!
xo, Catalin