I did a lot of research into where I could safely eat gluten free while travelling to Florence for 3 days. Consistently, bloggers and websites said it would be easy and safe to eat in Italy – and it was! Restaurants get certified by the AIC (Italian Celiac Association). This which basically means they have passed certification and training as a safe place for people with celiac disease to eat. They do have a paid app you can download, but I didn’t try it. Note: Be cautious when visiting gelato shops if you are celiac, as cross-contamination is likely.
One struggle I had when looking for safe restaurants was that many people who had created lists of safe restaurants seemed to have visited them prior to COVID, so lots of the restaurants had changed. Some no longer existed and didn’t survive the pandemic, some had moved locations, and some had modified their menu and offerings. Of course, do your research, ask questions ahead of ordering, and reach out ahead of time when needed. There are MANY more options (including entirely gluten free options), and I’ve included a map to help.
Here is where I ate safely during our July 2022 visit:
Sgrano
This place is ENTIRELY gluten free! It was DELICIOUS! Sgrano had so many items I didn’t think I’d get to try while in Italy. It was so good, that we ate here twice in our 3 days (but it was also so good that we forgot to take many pictures). So. Darn. Good. Portions are bigger than you’d expect, so proceed with caution if ordering multiple items. We loved our paninis and fried dough balls (I can’t remember what these were called). We ate at the main Sgrano Florence location, open 12-8:30pm every day. It is located a little way from Palazzo Vecchio on Via dei Neri.
Ristorante Lorenzo De’ Medici
Not dedicated gluten free, but they are accredited by the Italian Celiac Disease Association. They pride themselves on their very extensive gluten free menu, and that everything they offer for gluten eaters they have a gluten free version for. Sadly, we couldn’t try the pizza as they were sold out. We did, however, have the most DIVINE butter sage ravioli here. It was the best pasta we had during our limited time in Italy. A year later, and we still reminisce about this butter sage ravioli. We also tried Florentine steak, however we were not impressed, especially given the price (we are Canadian, so do get that great Alberta beef and could be a bit spoiled when it comes to steak). Lorenzo de’ Medici is located a stone’s throw from the Medici Chapel.
Mister Pizza
We ended up getting pizza from here twice, once sitting in and once to go. It was very affordable, and delicious! Pizzas are delivered to your table with a little gluten free flag on it. We went a bit out of our comfort zone and tried the tuna pizza, which was not really my taste, but my husband enjoyed it. If you get there early or are willing to wait, they are right beside the Duomo, so you can sit on the patio with an incredible view (and great people watching).
Da Garibardi
They have a separate gluten free menu, with lots to choose from. Very busy, so you may have to wait for a table. We did find it was priced a little high for what it was, but that could be due to the location (right across the street from the Florence Central Market). Dishes didn’t have as much flavour as other places we experienced – my truffle pasta wasn’t very “truffle-y” and the tomatoes on the bruschetta didn’t have much taste. However, the tiramisu was INCREDIBLE!
Grom
If you’ve done any “gluten free in Florence” research so far, you’ve probably already stumbled upon Grom. This is an ENTIRELY GF gelato shop. It is on the more expensive side, and was not our favourite gelato in Florence. There are many delicious gelato options in Florence, but it is nice knowing that you can pick anything without worrying about the ingredients. There are 2 locations in Florence, with the main one being near the Santa Maria Cathedral and Bell Tower.
Gelataria Artigianale La Sorbettiera
The BEST gelato we had in all of Italy. This place is a MUST VISIT! They make everything in house, from scratch, and can tell you what is in any of their flavours. They were easily able to tell us which flavours were safe (all gluten free when we visited). They were willing to use a fresh scoop and tin of gelato for me if needed. Every flavour we tried was heaven. We went twice (in one day) even though it was not near where we were staying (there are 2 locations – we went to the location near Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens). You HAVE TO go here!
Antica Gelateria Fiorentina
Gelato shop that was close to where we stayed that had good reviews, so we tried it on our first night. They don’t advertise gluten free, but they had gluten free cones and all their flavours are gluten free! The gelato was decent, but we had other shops we liked better (see above).
Cantina Del Gelato
There are 2 locations – we went to the shop located on the south side of the river (Pitti Palace side), near the Ponte Vecchio bridge entrance. There was a long line up, but the gelato was delicious. The lady who served us was knowledgeable, she used a new scooper, and they had gluten free cones and crepes (I didn’t try). They are known for their unique flavours! Smoothie bowls also available, though I’m not sure if there were GF options.
Grocery store option
Carrefour: There are several locations across Florence, and they have a great gluten free selection. We bought gluten free bread, eggs, and yogurt here for breakfasts. They had microwavable meals and pasta as well if you wanted to do more cooking on your own.
Map of Gluten Free Options
If you want more options, here is the Wanderlog map I made of everywhere I could find that was still open post-COVID and had good gluten free reviews, labelled menus, and/or indications that gluten free was safe at their restaurants. One place I wanted to go to but was just too busy was Ciro and Sons. Please note that I did not personally eat at all these restaurants, so do your own due diligence and reach out or check their websites/menus ahead of your visit.
HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one category at a time or see all the categories on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.