We spent three full days in the Lake Garda area in April 2024. I did a lot of research into where I could safely eat gluten free while travelling to Italy. Consistently, bloggers and websites said it would be easy and safe to eat gluten free in Italy – and it was in the big cities! I found it a bit more difficult to find places to eat in the small towns, like the Lake Garda area. Because of this, we made our own food using grocery store goods a couple of times because we couldn’t find something that was open and safe (there were no safe restaurants open on a Sunday!). We used Carrefour as our main shopping stop throughout our 3-week trip to Italy.
In Italy, restaurants get certified by the AIC (Italian Celiac Association), 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 we weren’t in Italy for long, so I didn’t try it. Note: Be cautious when visiting gelato shops if you are celiac, as cross-contamination is likely. Of course, do your research, ask questions ahead of ordering, and reach out to restaurants ahead of time when needed.
There are more options, which I have included on a map at the end of this post.
Gluten Free Lake Garda
Il Forno Senza Glutine (Vallegio sul Mincio)
This is a 100% gluten free bakery. Lots of breads and tartlet flavours. Very light and fluffy! We really enjoyed everything we bought (though be careful – they don’t have a long shelf life because they are all made of fresh ingredients!). I would definitely recommend making a trip here. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take any photos of the delicious treats we got – oops!
Mottino Garda (Garda)
They have gluten free pizza, one gluten free pasta option, and a gluten free dessert option. Nothing else was marked on menu, but we didn’t ask as we wanted pizza. The pizza toppings were delicious, however the dough seemed like it maybe was made from frozen. It was better than the place we tried in Pescheira del Garda (listed below), but not as good as elsewhere in Italy.
Biri (Bardolino)
They have GF pasta and pizza for 3 euro up-charge. They also have gluten free desserts, which are made by one of the waiter’s moms who is gluten free. We tried pasta. It was okay, but it needed more seasoning, and the dishes were small for the price. It was one of the better options in the area, but still a bit disappointing.
Bella Vista (Pescheira del Garda)
They have a clearly marked menu and are AIC certified. However, one of our dishes came out not gluten free (maybe a communication error?), which luckily another waiter caught when they brought my gluten free pizza. However, they made no offer to remake it or replace it, so I just ate the pizza. Overall, the food was not great, and expensive for what it was (our fish dish 17euros, or $25cad, with no sides and no flavour/seasoning). We personally wouldn’t return.
Map of Lake Garda Gluten Free Options
If you want more options, here is the Wanderlog map I made of everywhere I could find that had good gluten free reviews, labelled menus, and/or indications that gluten free was safe at their restaurants. 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.
