Gluten Free in Florence: My Field Guide to a Weekend Visit
Having made it through dozens of countries since going gluten free, returning to Italy always feels like a breather. It’s an incredible place to explore, and it’s one of the few countries where I don’t feel like I have to overthink every meal. If Italy is the gold standard for Celiac travel, Florence is my gold standard city within it: incredible experiences paired with safe, great food, all in a footprint compact enough that you’re never more than a few minutes from either.
Florence gluten free overview: 10/10
Navigating Florence while gluten free
Saying Florence is my favorite Italian city is a bold take given what Rome offers in sights and safe spots, Milan’s sheer scale, or the wild reality of Venice. But hear me out. While every major Italian city I’ve visited is incredible for sightseeing and Celiac safety, Florence brings it all together in a footprint so compact and stunning it’s hard to beat. It is a fairly small city, usually visited for a couple of days. Because there are far more gluten free options here than you could ever hit in a single weekend, this guide walks through my strategy for navigating it, where I ate, and how it all went.
Starting with the key questions I always get about the ease of a visit, Florence is simply amazing. Not every place caters to strict gluten free needs of course but I’ve rarely found one that doesn’t know of them, doesn’t have a few packaged cookies, or at least the understanding to say “not us” if they cannot accommodate, which is great in its own right. Even my hotel got it, offering Schar snacks and fresh items at breakfast.
This is perfect for me as my travel is about seeing the sights first and foremost and so I try to eat near where I want to go. That’s not to say this guide is purely functional, getting great food is wonderful, but I’ll skip the absolute best spot for a solid one that’s near what I want to see, and go back to a spot again if it means I can safely eat without having to trek all over too.
With all that said, a final thought on safety, Florence is home to both dedicated and shared gluten free spots, this guide talks about both as I comfortably will eat at either, provided that the spot feels safe. In the case of Florence, that’s ended up being mostly shared spots and honestly, between the AIC app (that’s the Italian Celiac Association, who rates restaurants, their app is free for the first two weeks and then sold as a cheap subscription), FMGF, and doing a quick vibe check, I’ve rarely found the need to dig deeper. Still, that mix may not be something everyone is comfortable with and that’s fair so I’ve listed out the type of restaurant and accreditation for each spot I talk about. In Florence, no matter what your approach is from fully dedicated, dual kitchen, or safe shared, it has options, and they are good.
Where I ate
Ciro & Sons
About the place: Shared, AIC / Italian / $$$ mid / Table service with seating
The vibe: My favorite Florence spot with a delicious, and extensive, Italian menu
Located just a few minutes’ walk from both the Duomo and the Santa Maria Novella central train station, in a vibrant and lively neighborhood of Florence that’s full of leather shops and people, Ciro & Sons has become my favorite spot for a relaxed meal out. While the place can be busy, right by the busy streets on the patio and rather loud with the number of tables inside, the liveliness has always felt like an added win to me. Rather than a place I have to settle on just to eat safely, it feels like a place people want to go to.
More than just a great vibe, Ciro & Sons is incredibly safe and varied offering everything on their menu in a gluten free version, even a lactose free one if you need that as well. I’ve eaten here several times and the number of gluten free flagged dishes roaming around is truly a sight to behold. As for what to eat, I’ve had their pizza (thick, chewy crust and a great cheese to sauce ratio); visited on a day where I was willing to forgo traditional Italian and get something more hearty with a nice “breaded” chicken and mashed potatoes; tried a salad once; and even a chocolate lava cake with ice cream because yes! They’ll also provide GF bread on the side because again, yes!
Mama Eat
About the place: Shared, AIC w/ separate GF kitchen / Italian / $$ mid / Table service with seating
The vibe: The best bet for a safe, quiet, and cheaper sit down experience
If stepping outside your home generally means you only step into a dedicated spot to eat, Italy is among the best places in the world to challenge that, and Mama Eat is the place to do it. While technically shared, Mama Eat (they’re a chain with locations around Italy) operates dual kitchens for “normal” and GF cooking, making them super safe even beyond normal AIC rules for us and offering no compromise for any “normal” companions.
Located in the Santa Croce neighborhood (about a five-minute walk from the Basilica), their restaurant is in a much more residential and quiet feeling location than most of the others on this list, but that does make for a nice break from the touristy streets after a morning out and about. Their menu is extensive and everything is reliable. I’ve enjoyed their pizza (here and in other cities), meatballs, pasta, and desserts, and their GF standards are something I never doubt. They’re also very well priced for a proper sit down spot, which is obviously nice.
Grom
About the place: Dedicated / Gelato / $ low / Counter service, no seating
The vibe: Reliable, 100% gluten free gelato right off the Duomo
Located literally steps around the corner from the Duomo and right around a number of fancy shops, Grom is a staple gelato chain found across Italy and even much of Europe. Their flavors tend to be simple and classic, their cones are solid, and while they are not cheap by gelato standards, they are reliably nice. Everything in the shop is GF (though some locations in other cities have started to sell pastries that are not GF) and they offer some lactose free options as well.
Antica Gelateria Fiorentina
About the place: Dedicated / Gelato / $ low / Counter service, no seating
The vibe: Fun flavors and everyone gets a GF cookie topper!
Antica Gelateria is a smaller chain with just a couple of locations around Italy, though they also sell their gelato directly to some restaurants as well. Their Florence spot is located just beside Basilica di San Lorenzo and only a few blocks from the Basilica of Santa Maria, making it an ideal stop while wandering around for a bit. They offer a wider selection of flavors and newer twists than Grom, also presenting them a bit more modern or touristy with the gelato in the open. But my favorite part is that they top their cups with a (GF) cookie. Like Grom, it is all GF of course and with some vegan / DF options too.
You can’t go wrong with either them or Grom but personally, I like Antica more even if it breaks away from the classic “presentation” gelato is supposed to be. But really, have both. And then have another gelato in the next city you make it to.
Lorenzo de’ Medici
About the place: Shared, AIC w/ separate GF kitchen / Italian / $$$ mid / Table service with seating
The vibe: Modestly upscale, this is the spot for a nice long meal and a great dessert
Located just across the street from Ciro & Sons in the San Lorenzo district is the aptly named Lorenzo de’ Medici, another fantastic AIC certified option. You really can’t go wrong on that block!
Like Ciro & Sons, they take GF very seriously, perhaps even more seriously with separate kitchens to prepare. They offer a delicious range of safe options using distinct plates to mark meals, and like Ciro, they’re far more than just a pizza spot, with a bit more of a sophisticated vibe (just a bit, you can still walk in all casual but the ambiance is nice). I’ve never had their pizza to compare it, but I have had a few other dishes, some winners and some less exciting. Their veggie avocado and tomato salad was fantastic, their cheesecake absolutely divine, while their swordfish was just ok. It is certainly another great spot, and I’ve visited them twice, picking between them and Ciro based on wait times.
Mister Pizza
About the place: Shared, AIC w/ dedicated GF prep / pizzeria / $ low / Table service with seating & to-go
The vibe: By far best spot for a safe bite with a view in Florence
When I first saw Mister Pizza, I was a bit skeptical that a smaller spot right on the Duomo would be safe (again, it’s an AIC spot), much less good, but let me say, wow. If you want a (relatively) cheap pizza with an insane view, this is the spot. Similarly, if your legs are done and you need something to go, as I did when I got the pizza shown below, this is the perfect place, though it can take a few minutes for orders given the special GF protocols and how busy they get.
i’Capaccino
About the place: Shared / Italian small menu / $$$ mid / Table-service with seating
The vibe: Small, local vibe with a fresh and ever changing menu, but check the prices
My first time in Florence after going GF, an Italian friend and I stumbled into i’Capaccino and were truly enamored by the place, so much so that we returned to it when we came back to the city a year later. While the location is just a block from Piazza della Signoria and steps from the Ponte Vecchio, the space is small, intimate, and incredibly friendly, with the owner / manager doing double duty serving and prepping. The gluten free menu isn’t extensive, just a couple of dishes each time I’ve been there, but the flavors I’ve had here were incredible and both my visits went just fine. All that said, and I hate saying anything negative about what feels like such a wonderful, small business, but do be sure to check the prices on what you order, as they more than gouged us on beverages on our last visit.
My Sugar
About the place: Shared / Gelato / $ low / Counter-service, no seating
The vibe: Another fun and GF friendly option, can't ever go wrong with more gelato!
While Grom and Antica Gelateria are great for a 100% safe and easy gelato, there have certainly been times when I was ready for a treat without the walk over and I’ve “braved” a few other spots, reviewed and not. My Sugar (located just a couple blocks past the Duomo) is a small gelato shop with mostly safe flavors, some GF cones, and staff who was so attentive and willing to properly change scoops and scoop from fresh parts of the tubs that I’ve pinned them to my GF eats map and include them on my trips back now.
Honorable Mention: Rivoire
So far I’ve talked about meals and dessert, but one of the best things to do in Florence is to sit with a coffee and a view. Rivoire on the Piazza della Signoria is a famous cafe where people line up to sit with a hot chocolate and hang out. While the cafe is not particularly gluten free, I’ve included it here as it isn’t without options and the vibe is wonderful, even if spendy. Having visited with an Italian friend, we were able to get a positive take on the hot chocolate though not definitively enough to say it’s a sure thing. If you don’t want to gamble as I did (I had no issues with it to be clear), they have bottled drinks and some packaged GF cookies.
La Speranza 1939 (in Siena)
About the place: Shared spot / Italian / $$ mid / Table service - indoor & outdoor seating
The vibe: Unbeatable views directly over Piazza del Campo with a surprisingly great pasta
While obviously not part of Florence, Siena is such a popular day trip that I thought I would mention the meal I had when I took one at La Speranza 1939. While Siena certainly has fewer AIC or highly reviewed spots than Florence, there are still several and they are quite nice. Located right on the iconic Piazza del Campo, La Speranza 1939 is a place I’d have picked just for the vibe, much like Rivoire, but their food turned out to be quite impressive, even if there were only a few safe options available, and of course, the location was fantastic. I went with the spaghetti bolognese, which was a wonderful, obviously incredibly fresh sauce, served with a side of GF bread.
There’s also a Grom in the city center (on Via Banchi di Sopra, just a couple minutes away) for a gelato before the bus or train ride back, and plenty more senza glutine cookies at the stores around the bus station and terminal too.
Grocery options
If you’re wondering where all the breakfast photos are in this post, they’re at the grocery store or the hotel (every hotel I’ve stayed at in Italy has offered some packaged Schar or other GF snacks, plus whatever you feel ok with in the buffet style options usually offered). Florence does have some safe breakfast spots, but with almost every grocery store selling some GF packaged goodies, yogurts, and fresh fruit, I find grabbing my own supplies speeds up the morning and lets me save my food budget for more elaborate meals (and gelato) to come.
In Florence, there are a number of smaller and larger supermarkets both around and even in the city center and all of the ones I’ve been to have safe (“senza glutine”) options. In fact, unlike most of Europe where the EU’s strict labeling laws seem to mean no one bothers writing GF on anything but gluten looking items, it’s common to see senza glutine shakes, yogurts, and “normal” options which is always reassuring.
Airport & train options
My visits in and out of Florence have always been by rail and that usually means the chance for a real first or last meal. However, schedules have not always allowed for a proper sit down and my plan-b train station option in Italy is usually McDonald’s. In Italy, McDonald’s options are limited to a single double cheeseburger on a Schar bun. It’s not pretty, not elaborate, not even great but it comes fully sealed and gets microwaved up when ordered so it’s both very safe and hot food. Fries are also usually fine though never hurts to ask. Florence has two locations right around their station.
Closing thoughts on a gluten free visit to Florence
If it’s not clear by now, I am amazingly fond of Florence for anyone and especially for gluten free anyones. It’s not a giant city and so the options don’t last forever, a few days would be easy to get to new spots, after that, you may start to repeat but that’s about a typical visit too. There’s more than enough to really enjoy to see and to eat and with such good understanding and proximity, I’ve never felt pressed to research or hunt around for an option, and never really worry that a place won’t know what senza glutine really means if I ask. So yes, go book that trip.
Exploring Italy?
Also see my posts about traveling to Naples, Rome (coming soon), and Milan (coming soon)
