Florence tops many travellers’ Italy “must visit” lists and rightly so. From world famous artworks and frescoes to historic building and piazzas, the city is seriously beautiful.

What’s more, for gluten free Florence visitors there is a whole world of gluten free delicacies to be discovered. So whether you are on the hunt for the best gluten free pizza or looking to cool down with a coeliac-safe gelato, you have come to the right place.

Read on for my top gluten free Florence tips, covering coeliac friendly restaurants, cafes, gluten free bakeries and accommodation ideas.

Gluten Free Florence

Where to Eat

Grom

Grom and I have had a long time love affair, starting over a decade ago when I was a hungry ERASMUS student spending a year in Padua. Since then, this excellent gelato chain has become fully gluten free. Chocolate-dipped cones, delicate biscuits and killer gelato and sorbetto flavours make this place a MUST VISIT for anyone coming to Italy. The gelato here is the best, in my opinion, and I have done some extensive taste testing in my time. Try the pistachio and fior di latte flavours and you can thank me later.

Ristorante Quinoa

A fully gluten free spot, this time a restaurant that has been accredited by the AIC (Italian Coeliac Society). The restaurant has a lovely open air courtyard that is set away from the bustling streets around it, quite a change from the city centre tourist humdrum. This is a great spot to grab lunch or gluten free aperitivo. The highlight of the food we tried was the gluten free fried chicken – delicious! They also offer dairy free and vegan options, plus gluten free beer and desserts galore.

Sgrano Gluten Free

Oh my goodness, I WISH this fully gluten free takeaway was open when I visited Florence. The pictures of their food look insane (pizzas, filled sandwiches and more) and there are rave reviews. Seems to me that this one is a must visit! They have a few tables for dining in too, if you prefer a sit down meal.

Image credit: Sgrano

Benci Sgrano – L’Osteria Senza Glutine

For a fuller sit down dining experience, try their sister restaurant, which is also fully gluten free.

Trattoria da Garibardi

Offering a huge gluten free menu and receiving rave reviews from coeliacs, this restaurant is a fab dinner spot in Florence. It is AIC (Italian coeliac society) accredited so you can rest assured that you are in safe hands. The gluten free delights on offer include fresh gluten free pasta, homemade gluten free bread, gluten free pizza and gluten free desserts.

Ciro & Sons

Feast your eyes on this burrata-topped gluten free Portofino pizza from Ciro & Sons in Florence. As soon as one of my followers on Instagram sent me a pic of her incredible gluten free pizza I knew I had to try this place! I had heard so many good things before I visited and it certainly lived up to the hype. The gluten free pizza base was EXCELLENT, definitely one of the best gluten free pizzas I have had. Ciro & Sons is safe for coeliacs as the restaurant has AIC (Italian Coeliac Society) accreditation. We were particularly impressed with the super friendly staff at this family-run restaurant. There are even gluten free desserts on offer (including homemade cheesecake), so what’s not to love.

FISHING LAB Alle Murate

Recommended to me by other coeliac travellers, this restaurant caters to gluten free diners very capably. A good spot for a swanky seafood dinner.

Pizzaman

A chain of pizzerias across Florence, Pizzaman caters for gluten free customers. The gluten free pizza dough here is also suitable for vegans and is safe for coeliacs.

Mister Pizza

Yet another coeliac-friendly pizza spot, in the centre of Florence. Mister Pizza offers a gluten free option for nearly all of its dishes. The gluten free items are prepared in a dedicated kitchen area so you don’t need to fret about cross-contamination, then served on a special coloured plate for peace of mind. Some of my Instagram followers said this was the best gluten free pizza they had ever tried. Mister Pizza can also cater for dairy free and vegan customers. There are two restaurants in Florence – one in via Pietrapiana and one in Plaza del Duomo.

Bottega Artigiana del Gusto

A fully gluten free bakery and cafe with all sorted of delicious food available, including fresh gluten free bread and pizzas. They also serve homemade gluten free pasta and desserts – all AIC accredited of course. It’s a bit out of the centre but is a good one to visit if you have some more time to spend wandering around Florence.

Pasticceria Gualtieri

This bakery is AIC (Italian coeliac society) accredited and produces a selection of gluten free pastries, cakes and more. They also have vegan options available.

Trattoria Cammillo

Try traditional Tuscan food at this AIC-accredited restaurant. Most of the menu can be made gluten free and they cater for coeliacs very ably.

La Pépinière Ristorante Biologico

A fully gluten free, vegan and organic restaurant, which is also AIC-accredited.

Ti Do Una Pizza

This pizzeria is AIC-accredited and offers multiple types of gluten free bases, with safe cooking practices for coeliacs. They even have a separate oven for the gluten free pizzas and a dedicated gluten free pizza chef.

Winter Garden

At the St Regis, this restaurant was recommended to me by a reader, who said she had an excellent experience as a coeliac here. It is a very elegant setting, one for a fancy meal.

Gluten Free Traditional Florentine Dinner

I found this one online on a tour website and the pasta pictures drew me in! A gluten free chef’s dinner in Florence, completely gluten free, in a small closed-door restaurant. Including fresh pasta and focaccia.

Others to Try

There are also a tonne of other AIC-accredited restaurants (accredited as safe for coeliacs) in Florence, which you might want to check out, including:

  • Le Botteghe di Donatello
  • Giannino in S. Lorenzo
  • Osteria Cipolla Rossa
  • Il Desco Bistrot (temporarily closed) – a reader told me their experience here was excellent.
  • Trattoria La Gratella
  • La Cocotte (temporarily closed)
  • Caffetteria Raffaella – Tapinassi Bar
  • La Capanna
  • B-Roof at the Grand Hotel Baglioni
  • Antica Gelateria Fiorentina
  • Ristorante Hostaria Il Desco
  • Ristorante Bacca Rossa
  • I Tarocchi
  • L’OV L’Osteria Vegetariana
  • Bio I’ Pennatini

McDonalds

If you get fed up of pizza or Italian food (surely impossible??) and fancy a quick gluten free burger, McDonalds in Italy offers gluten free buns. It is accredited by the AIC and the buns are safe for coeliacs.

Where to Stay

Hotel Brunelleschi

On our most recent trip to Florence we were kindly hosted by the beautiful Hotel Brunelleschi. The hotel cater wonderfully for coeliac and gluten free guests, even providing a gluten free mini bar. Check out my amazing breakfast in the pic below! Staff are very aware of safe preparation (my toast was prepared separately in the kitchen) and they provided a huge array of Schar products for me to choose from. The hotel itself comprises Florence’s oldest tower and is a a fantastic mix of historic buildings and modern comforts. Read more about our stay here.

Cookery Courses

I often get asked by people whether I know of any gluten free cookery courses in Florence. So here’s a list of some courses that I found online. I’ve not taken any of these personally, but they are well reviewed:

Semi-Private Gluten Free Cooking Course – a 3 hour course with a professional chef, making classic Tuscan favourites like pizza, pasta, gnocchi and tiramisu.

The Final Word

Like this gluten free Florence guide? Then why not discover more in the My Gluten Free Guide travel series via the links below:

I love writing these gluten free guides to help other coeliac travellers and like to keep them free of charge for all. If you have found the guide useful and would like to buy me a virtual coffee as a tip, you can do so via my KoFi account: https://ko-fi.com/myglutenfreeguide.

Thank you and happy travels! Laura xxx