There’s nothing like a summer trip to Italy! Florence, arguably my favorite city in all of Italy, is a fabulous place to visit and explore. There are so many things to do and see, and so much fantastic food to eat. My friends and I also took an overnight trip to Siena, which is a little under an hour train ride outside of the city. I found so many great places for gluten-free pizza, pasta, and nut allergy safe gelato in both cities. It was a fabulous few days full of delicious food, beautiful views, and adventure. Keep reading for a guide to all the allergy-friendly spots to stay, see, eat, and treat in Florence and Siena!
Where We Stayed
- Toscanelli Residenza d’Epoca: This was my favorite spot we stayed in over the two weeks in Italy! It’s a small family-owned 4 story hotel with gorgeous views and very comfortable accomodation. See the far right photo below for the view from our window!
- Hotel Minerva: We only spent one night at Hotel Minerva, but thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It’s a larger hotel than a few of the others we stayed in, but everyone was very welcoming and we loved the outdoor searing area. It’s also in walking distance to many of the popular sightseeing spots throughout Siena.
What We Saw
- Duomo: The Santa Maria del Fiore, in Florence, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, is the third largest church in the world and a must-visit in Florence. We bought tickets ahead of to do the Dome Climb. I highly recommend hiking up for the best views of Florence!
- Accademia Gallery: The Accademia Gallergy is home of Michelangelo’s sculpture, David, as well as many other scuplures and a large collection of paintings by Florentine artists. We also bought skip the line tickets ahead of our trip to avoid delays.
- Uffizi Gallery: The Uffizi Gallery was one of my favorite spots of the trip. We ended up spending most of the day there venturing through the halls and looking at all the paintings and sculptures. I recommend paying a little extra for the audio tour which you can purchase once you enter the gallery.
Where We Ate in Florence and Siena
We ate at a variety of allergy-friendly restaurants and gelato shops across Florence and Siena. Read the list to learn more about each spot and how they accommodate food allergies. You can also take a look at the Google map below to see where these places are located throughout both cities!
Florence
1. Mister Pizza
Widely known as the best gluten-free pizza in all of Florence, I knew I had to stop by Mister Pizza to see if it lived up to its reputation. Spoiler alert: it does! This was the BEST pizza during our entire two-week trip! Mister Pizza is not a dedicated gluten-free restaurant, but they do have gluten-free pizza dough, as well as lactose-free and vegan cheese. All gluten-free pizzas are made in a dedicated GF pizza oven and are completely celiac-safe. The kitchen is also completely peanut-free! While they do have one pizza with pistachios, the staff are extremely knowledgeable about food allergies and cross contamination. Our waiter wrote down my nut allergies for the kitchen. Everything was safe, and the gluten-free pizza dough was some of the best I’ve ever had – it’s so fluffy I was almost worried it wasn’t gluten-free! Another thing to love about Mister Pizza is they use special gluten-free flags to mark all the GF pizzas, and they come out of the kitchen separately. Mister Pizza is right across from the Santa Maria Cathedral in the Piazza Del Duomo, so I highly recommend visiting before or after hiking up the Duomo or exploring the Piazza.
2. Le Botteghe Di Donatello
We loved eating at Le Botteghe Di Donatello for dinner one night. It’s also in the Piazza Del Duomo, right down the street from Mister Pizza, and the outdoor seating offers gorgeous views of the Cathedral. They are an AIC restaurant with a separate gluten-free menu and many GF options including pizza, pasta, and dessert. The menu is labeled with all allergens, and there were no peanuts on the menu and only tree nuts noted in select dishes. Staff were very knowledgeable about allergies, and I felt very comfortable that I would be taken care of. I ordered the gluten-free bruschetta appetizer and a fabulous steak for dinner, as well as a few cocktails. This was also one of the only places in Italy I felt comfortable having dessert! Everything is made to order, and there were very few nuts on the dessert menu. My friend and I split two of the desserts from the gluten-free menu: the berry panna cotta and creme de caramel. Both were safe and delicious, but the panna cotta (pictured above) was my favorite. Definitely a great spot for dinner in Florence, and I highly recommend ordering the steak if you need a break from pizza and pasta!
3. Ristorante Buca Niccolini
Ristorante Buca Niccolini is a great spot for lunch or dinner in the Piazza Del Duomo. Similarly to Le Botteghe Di Donatello, they are an AIC restaurant and have numerous gluten-free options spanning from pasta, to pizza, to appetizers. The menu is quite extensive, so I was excited to have dozens of safe options to choose from. Staff were very knowledgeable about food allergies, and they have an allergy menu available on site if you request it. I ordered their penne panna e salmone with gluten-free pasta, which was delicious and safe. We dined outdoors for dinner and loved the candlelit ambience and live music. I would definitely recommend Ristorante Buca Niccolini for an allergy-safe meal in Florence.
4. Trattoria de’ Pitti
Located across from the Boboli Gardens and next to the hotel we stayed at (mentioned above), we stumbled upon Trattoria de’ Pitti one day for lunch. They serve fabulous pasta dishes as well as other entrees and appetizers. They also have an extensive wine selection. We dined for lunch one day and had such a good time, we came back later in the trip for dinner! Both times had a pasta dish, and they had great gluten-free pasta! We also ordered the clam appetizer, which was super tasty. They have an allergen menu labeled for the top allergens. I found that the staff weren’t as allergy aware as at other places we visited throughout the trip, but I still felt very safe dining. They have a much smaller menu and seemed to have limited nuts on the menu (only a few things with tree nuts and one with peanuts). If you’re near the Boboli Gardens, I would definitely stop by Trattoria de’ Pitti for a bite!
5. Gallery Café
Gallery Café is a cute cafe near the Boboli Gardens and was the only spot of the trip where I was able to find safe gelato in Florence! They have a limited number of flavors and only had two with tree nuts (pistachios and hazelnuts) when we visited. The store and gelato area was very clean which piqued my interest when we wandered in, so I chatted with the staff to see if I would be able to safely order. They were very accommodating of nut allergies and changed gloves and fully washed the scoop before preparing my order. I chose flavors that were on the opposite side of the case than those with nuts and had the staff scoop from the back of the pint where the gelato hadn’t been touched. I tried their vanilla flavor which was safe and delicious. While this wasn’t a nut-free spot, I felt very safe and taken care of while ordering here. I definitely recommend checking it out and seeing if their allergy practices work for your comfort level.
Siena
1. Alla Speranza
Alla Speranza, located in the center plaza, is a great allergy-friendly option for lunch or dinner if you’re visiting Siena. They were extremely thorough with my allergies and helped me pick out several safe options on the menu. They have celiac-safe options for pasta and pizza. They have few nuts on the menu, but do serve bags of peanuts during happy hour. However, everything was sealed, so I felt comfortable ordering from the kitchen. I loved their pasta carbonara and red wine. I definitely recommend stopping by Alla Speranza if you’re visiting Florence.
2. Pizzeria Ristorante di Nonno Mede
Pizzeria Ristorante di Nonno Mede is a cute spot with gorgeous outdoor views of the Siena hills. They are an AIC restaurant and have a separate gluten-free menu available. Note: they do serve peanuts from “happy hour” which I noticed when we entered the restaurant. We went for an early lunch, so they had not yet brought them out yet. Given that, I felt comfortable dining but definitely something to flag for those with peanut allergies. Other than that, most of the menu is nut-free, and they had many gluten-free options. I got the gluten-free lasagna since I wanted to switch it up slightly, and it was delicious and safe! I did feel like this was the least allergy-aware restaurant we visited in Siena, and staff didn’t see to get it when I handed them my chef card as much as other places. Nevertheless, I still dined safely and would recommend for guest with gluten and/or nut allergies.
3. Grom
Grom is a gelato chain throughout Italy (and with some locations in the US!) that I was able to eat at safely on our trip to Siena, as well as in Rome. All their shops are 100% gluten-free! I was told almost every location is also completely peanut-free (please double check with staff if you visit). There are cones with hazelnuts, but those are kept in a separate case from the other cones and cups. They do have a few tree nut containing flavors but have a clear allergen menu online that lists which of the top allergens all their flavors contain. Each flavor has its own paddle, and staff willing washed hands before preparing my ice cream. They do say that there is no guarantee that there isn’t the chance of cross contamination, but I felt comfortable. I safely got their vanilla gelato in a cup which was a delicious!
I hope you enjoyed this guide to all the best spots to eat at in Florence and Siena if you’re nut-free and gluten-free! Let me know in the comments below what allergy-friendly spot you want to visit most. If you’re looking for other recommendations in Italy, be sure to check out my Allergy-Friendly Rome Guide that I posted previously. And make sure to check out all my restaurant guides for recommendations in lots of major cities!
