<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

	Well, we're finally home and unpacked (the hardest part) from 
our vacation in Italy.  The good news is that in 3 weeks of traveling 
there, I never once had a Celiac attack.  <<Yayyyy!!!>> With all the 
jumping from city to city that we were doing and the kinds of public 
restroom facilities they have in Italy (verrrry yucky) , that was a 
very GOOD thing!

	Also, although you don't need to speak Italian to get by in 
Italy, it certainly helps - a LOT!  So, if you're planning a trip to 
Italy in the future, start now with the Italian books and CDs.  It 
does help in communicating at restaurants (and also makes for more 
fun speaking with the locals).  On the other hand.....If going to 
Sicily is in your plans, then I suggest knowledge of Italian even 
more. ....Lots FEWER people speak English there, and so knowing the 
language really comes in handy a bunch on  a Sicilian  vacation!

	For the most part, it seemed to be easier for me in small 
towns than in larger ones.  Also, the easiest places for me to find 
gf grocery items was in the Co-op supermarkets and in the farmacias 
(Pharmacies are the most reliable place to find gf food items in 
Italy.)

	Now, down to the eating part!   GF dining in Italy wasn't the 
culinary joy I was expecting.   Yummy looking Pizza, Paninis and 
wonderful pastries were all over the place...for everyone else, but 
NOT for me - I could only look.  : ' ((  I found that to be extremely 
frustrating (No Pizza Picazzo's there), especially when I was hungry! 
I finally got MY chance at pizza 2 1/2 weeks into the vacation when 
we met up with my 45 Sicilian relatives.  As it turns out, I have a 
3rd or 4th cousin who is a Celiac (she's a pre-teener).  The Italian 
relatives knew I was dying for pizza, so they arranged the family 
dinner at a pizza place in town (Ragusa) that makes gf pizza (highly 
recommended by my gf cousin).  It was wonderful!

	As for eating out during the rest of the 3 weeks....Sure, 
most everyone in restaurants knew what Celiac Disease is and many 
even have had a Celiac or two in the family but,  when it came to 
actually serving gf items, it wasn't as easy.  Only one restaurant in 
all 3 weeks had a gluten free menu.  A couple (not many) did have gf 
pasta and knew about cooking it in fresh water.  I ended up keeping a 
stash of gluten free pasta in my purse (when I remembered) and most 
restaurants were OK with cooking it up in a fresh pot for me.

	RISOTTO WARNING!!!!!   Beware!  DON'T think risotto is your 
solution!!!  Risotto is on most Italian menus, BUT 100% of the time 
that I asked, I was told the rice for the risotto was cooked in the 
same water as the pasta.  Whenever I wanted risotto, they even had to 
cook THAT in a separate pot for me.  (I don't know if this is also 
the case in the US but, I certainly will check from now on!)

	Non-Pasta Plates:  Now, if unlike me, you love fish dishes or 
veggies, you will fare LOTS better in Italy!  Fish and vegetables are 
on all of the menus and frequently prepared in ways that are gf.  I 
just hate fish and veggies  (I'll admit to being a carboholic), but 
that's just me.

	GF Italian Bread?  Forget it!  In 99.99% of restaurants, gf 
bread is not an option.  I only got gf bread a couple of times, but 
just because I    got lucky.

	OK-I don't want you to think that Italy was an gf nightmare. 
It's just me...I'm a picky eater.  I did have some wonderful 
experiences that I'd like to (I hope briefly) share with you.....
	EXPERIENCE #1:  We were at a restaurant in  a little town in 
Tuscanny.  As soon as they knew I was a Celiac, they called over they 
Celiac specialist waitress.  She was marvelous!  She treated me like 
royalty.  She ran back to the kitchen and quickly returned with a 
tray of 4 different types of gf pastas in their packages and asked me 
which I preferred.  She double checked that everything was prepared 
the right (gf) way for me.  Then, she brought out 3 piping hot gf 
crusty rolls during the main course.  I made sure she was tipped well!
	EXPERIENCE #2:  Laura and Luigi, the owners of the villa 
where we stayed in Tuscanny invited the 4 of us (Charlie, me, and the 
friends we were traveling with) to join them for dinner one night. 
They were aware of my gf situation and went out of their way to 
prepare everything that I could eat.  Luigi even took the time to 
make me this wonderful gluten free dessert with its main ingredient 
of almond meal.  My husband hates all kinds of nuts but LOVED this 
dessert.  E-mail me if you'd like the recipe.  I can share it just as 
soon as I translate it to English and give it a test run.
	EXPERIENCE #3: We had dinner at a beautiful indoor garden 
restaurant in Sorrento.  When I inquired at the front desk (earlier 
in the day) I was told that one of their waiters is a Celiac.)  Of 
course, I requested the Celiac waiter when we made our reservations. 
He was an absolute sweetie helping me and making sure all was gf OK. 
He even heated up 2 slices of his very own GF bread (that he brings 
in for his own lunches) so that I could have bread with dinner. 
Needless to say, we treated him well, too!

Here's the website for the Italian Celiac Association.  It also lists 
restaurants but  I didn't search out any of them ( a tuff thing to do 
when you're traveling with other people).  
http://www.celiachia.it/default.asp

BTW: Would I do it again (go to Italy)?
IN A  GF HEARTBEAT!


Ciao!
Nina   : )
Phoenix, Arizona
Diag. 1996



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