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I wanted to summarize my experience traveling for 2 weeks in Europe.  I am 
breaking this e-mail up into two parts - Italy and then 
London/Paris/Edinburgh.  This was the first time I have traveled since 
being diagnosed 4 years ago (except for my annual GIG conventions!).  
Sorry for the length of the e-mail, but I wanted to give as much 
information as I could to anyone who might want to travel.
 
First of all, I packed all of my necessary gluten-free products to get me 
through in a crisis (and boy did I need THAT food sometimes!).  I packed 
trail mix, crackers, peanut butter, cookies and pretzels.  I also took out 
of the freezer 2 packages of Kinnikinnick hamburger buns and 2 packages of 
Whole Foods almond scones and put them in shopping bag in my suitcase with 
my name on the bag (this bag ended up traveling with me to Rome and London 
and was kept frozen in my hotel's restaurant's freezer case).  When I 
can't eat somewhere, I need substance - hence all the carbohydrates!  I 
also brought along lots of individual Kraft dressings that I ordered 
before my trip so I could always have a salad.  I brought lots of plastic 
sandwich bags which came in handy.
 
I want you to know that I did tons of research before my trip on every 
celiac website, as well as the UK's celiac websites.  For 2 weeks, I 
basically knew what city I would be in and what restaurants would be 
available for me to eat in.
 
On my way to Rome, my trip started with a British Airways gluten-free 
dinner of chicken and potatoes (with a gluten roll wrapped up on my 
plate!).  I knew it was a gluten roll because it looked like my husband's 
roll on his plate AND it just looked too darn delicious!  Ate my dinner 
and skipped the roll - I was fine.
 
ITALY - well, what they say about g-f food being so easily accessible in 
all the pharmacies in Italy is just flat out wrong.  During our week stay, 
every time I saw a green cross on a building in Italy, I went in to 
investigate - probably about 15 of them!).  Only about half of the 
pharmacies had g-f food, and except for two pharmacies, most of the others 
had very little packaged g-f food.  Two pharmacies had a tremendous number 
of g-f products to choose from!
 
Lunches were a horror in Italy - we walked the city of Rome every day, and 
all we could find was pasta and pizza - not even a green salad could be 
found.  It was awful.  I would eat a banana or ice cream and much on 
crackers or scones while my husband ate lunch.  I was so depressed, but 
knew I would eat well at night at certain restaurants we had made 
reservations for.  By the third day, I got smart and put cheese and meat 
from our buffet breakfast into a sandwich bag and then ate that with 
crackers during lunch!  I had given my frozen bread to the hotel to put in 
their restaurant's freezer and took out some scones every day.  The 
restaurant at the hotel we stayed at in Rome (Cicerone Hotel) only had an 
exclusive high-priced restaurant that we didn't eat in.  The hotel staff 
wasn't all that nice, so I really didn't ask them to do anything.
 
As far as restaurants in Italy, make reservations the day before and let 
them know you are coming and want g-f pizza or a g-f meal.  These are the 
restaurants I ate in:
 
ROME - We took taxis in Rome to all of these restaurants that served 
gluten-free food.  Tulipano Nero is a great lunch place to eat in.  They 
had g-f pizza on their menu.  It was okay - not the best, but great to eat 
g-f pizza in Italy! (Address-Via Roma Libera, 15, Rome; Phone-+39 (06) 581-
8309).   Ripa 12 is a restaurant on a small street in Rome which also had 
g-f pizza - again, okay. They also served g-f pasta.  (Address-Via S. 
Franceso a Ripa 12, Rome; Phone-+39 (06) 580-9093.  DaArturo's Restaurant 
is a NICE fancy restaurant - I had g-f spaghetti - delicious. (Address-Via 
Aurelia Antica, Rome; Phone-+39 (06) 662-3408.  
 
There was one more recommended Rome restaurant who served g-f food, but we 
never made it there - La Fiorentina - (Address-Via Andrea Doria 22, Rome - 
near the Vatican.  I did not get a phone no.)
 
POMPEI - We took a tour to Pompei.  The tour included lunch at the Celini-
Hotel Vittori in Pompei.  The restaurant staff was knowledge about gluten 
and actually whipped me up a wonderful dish of rissoto and a green salad 
on a moment's notice.  Sorry, I do not know the contact information for 
this hotel restaurant because this was a delightful surprise.  It is right 
at the base of the ruins of Pompei.
 
SORRENTO - We stayed one night in Sorrento and I made reservations at this 
restaurant that everyone said had g-f pizza.  I had FORGOTTEN to call the 
day before to request a g-f pizza.  When I got there, I was crushed they 
did not have g-f pizza for me and got so depressed, but was elated to be 
served g-f lasagne that was delicious!  There was even another celiac 
family at a table next to mine who called the day before and ordered g-f 
gnocchi. Restaurant Pizzeria La Fenice (Address-Via degli Aranci 11, 
Sorrento 80067; Phone-+39 081-8781652).  You will miss a meal of a 
lifetime in Italy if you do not eat here.  It was wonderful to walk the 
streets of Sorrento and walk down near the pier and eat here.
 
I will send another e-mail about London, Edinburgh and Paris shortly.

Sue
 
 
 
 

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