I had a friend visit me in Rome recently who happens to have Celiac disease. As it happens it was pretty easy to find places to take her, and a lot she found by herself having consulted websites such as thefork.com and puntarellarossa.it (the latter only covers Rome).
So what is the situation out of Rome….in the sleepy little towns and villages?
If you type in a quick search for “senza glutine fuori roma” you find pages of suggestions. I clicked on one site celiachiaitalia.com and found lots of listings, which is great! Only drawback is that it’s only in Italian (although I don’t think that matters, you can still get restaurant name and details). Another site I referred to was the AiC official website
Much research is going into this project so it will take me a while to get all of Lazio covered, but please check back for updates. I will post as I go along….
In the Rieti Province:
* Il Picchio Allegro is a member of AiC (Italian Celiac Association) plus they have a wood-burning pizza oven (pizza always tastes better baked in these) and they stock the local Alta Quota beer. The restaurant is located in Rieti town.
* Casale Villa Battistini – located a short drive out of Rieti (you need a car/taxi to get there) don’t specifically mention gluten-free but they do say that they can cater for special dietary requirements. I would suggest booking ahead a couple of days to check.
* Ristorante Cintia – located near the cathedral in central Rieti. Also a member of AiC. They also specialise in local Sabina dishes (the Sabines were the original tribe of this territory).
* La Taverna del Tiranno – buried in the Sabine countryside this one of off-the-beaten-path. If you head along the Via Salaria (SP40) it is just after Osteria Nuova and not too far from Monteleone Sabina which has a tiny catacomb in an equally tiny yet beautiful church.
In the Viterbo Province:
* Osteria Belvedere – an intriguing little hideaway in a small town called Bassano in Teverina, with an unexpected private dining area. They are a member of AiC. The menu is very imaginative offering a mix of local and international cuisine.
* Il Calice & La Stella – small, modern yet cosy this restaurant is located in another small town called Canepina, an area rich in chestnuts, hazelnuts and olives.
* Osteria Braceria Basilicò – This restaurant, located a short distance from Vitorchiano, also stocks one of our favourite olive oil brands from the Tuscia territory and the menu is mouthwatering!
* Coccia Sesto – not a restaurant but a high quality emporium located in the Santa Barbara area of Viterbo town, stocking local meats (prosciutto, salumi, mortadella, porchetta), which I felt I just had to include.
* La Pappa Celiaca – is a bakery located in Viterbo town, offering bread, pizza, cakes, tarts and seasonal desserts (Panettone, Pandoro), all gluten-free.
* Tavernetta Il Cavaliere – is located in one of my favourite little villages called San Martino al Cimino just outside Viterbo to the south. It has attractive outdoor seating and a park plus the hotel part has a lovely series of outdoor pools.
In the Roma province:
* Zenzero Biorestaurant – I love the menus here – creative vegan/vegetarian menu and also a seafood menu for fish-eating friends. The location is an oasis of green calm at Ostia Lido, not along the coast.
[more to be added]
In the Frosinone province:
* La Locanda del Ditirambo – I’m pleased to include this one as it’s a very characteristic venue, in Castro dei Volsci, and they are part of the Italia Celiac Assn (AiC).
[more to be added]
In the Latina province:
* 0% Glutine – is a wonderful bakery & cake shop in Latina town.
* I Milli Gelateria – gets great reviews for it’s ice-cream, located roughly between Latina town and Cisterna di Latina in Borgo Podgora, a modern village also not far from the famous Ninfa Botanical Gardens.
* Il Gazebo – is situated right on the beach, tucked between the sand and mountains just outside Gaeta. Their main speciality is seafood, of course, being at the coast but they have a good pizza menu as well.
[more to be added]
Lazio Escapes 