this blog post will cover all things to help you on your next trip to Italy! there are so many amazing vegan restaurants, meals, gelato, and I didn’t feel deprived for one second. we will also cover language basics, what to look out for, and some restaurants I wanted to try but didn’t get a chance to. if you are traveling to Italy as a vegan or person who is dairy-free you won’t have any issues finding things to eat!
This is a long blog post, so feel free to skip around! We are covering a few different places in Italy. I will share the restaurants I found, how to order, typical foods you can eat and so much more.
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Trip Anticipation
The first time I went to Italy was in 2013. I went to sing opera and I was just so excited to be there. At the time I wasn’t vegan, I was only 20 years old, and while I made so many great memories there the best ones involved food. I couldn’t get over the fruit, vegetables, gelato, pasta, pizza everything tasted better there. When I left Italy I was truly heartbroken and couldn’t wait for the day I could go back.
11 years later I finally went back and this time as a vegan. Now, I am Italian-American I grew up eating almost exclusively all Italian food so I knew I would be able to find some things for sure. The typical stuff: bread, pasta (only dry pasta though we will get into why later), focaccia, salad, veggies, pizza marinara, sorbet, maybe even a dairy free gelato if I was lucky. BUT I was more than satisfied the whole trip and found so many amazing vegan restaurants while I was there.
I was in 3 places on this trip to Italy: Rome, Naples, and Lake Como (Bellagio/Tremezzo). I spent most of my time in Rome so that is where I have the most restaurants to tell you about. However, I have some ones for Naples and Lake Como as well. Due to Rome and Naples being cities it did have so many options and since Lake Como has a lot of visitors again easily found vegan options.
Language Basics
Before we get into the places to eat I really want to give you some language basics you can use to help you order. When you are in the bigger cities most people can speak English but I think it is good to have some phrases to know to help you order more efficiently. Of course you can always use a translator app on your phone too!
- Sono vegan/vegano/vegana: means I am vegan. Typically, a word ending in O is masculine and a word ending in A is feminine. Of course, just like living in the US sometimes people just really don’t know what vegan means but it is helpful. People still think being vegan means not eating gluten or being vegetarian.
- Non mangio prodotti di animali: means I do not eat animal products. This can be helpful in case they are not understanding what vegan means.
- Formaggio: means cheese. So if you are ordering something you can say “senza formaggio” means without cheese or you can say “no formaggio” no cheese.
- Latte: means milk. So if you are ordering something you can “senza latte” meaning without milk. You can ask “Questo ha latte?” meaning does this have milk. Most places had soy milk which is “soia latte.”
- Uova/uove: means egg/eggs. So you can say “La pasta ha le uova?” meaning does the pasta have eggs. Fresh pasta usually contains egg so you want to stay away from that.
- Burro: means butter. So you can say “Il cornetto ha burro?” meaning does the croissant have butter? In Italy breakfast is usually a croissant or pastry and a coffee. However, some biggers hotels and more toursity restaurants do a big breakfast/breakfast buffet.
- Carne: means meat. So you can say “Il piatto ha carne?” does this dish have meat?
- Pesce: means fish. So you can say “Il piatto ha pesce?” does this dish have fish?
- Miele: means honey. So you can say “Il dolce ha miele?” does the dessert have honey?
- Per favore: means please. Just a polite way to order of course.
- Grazie/Grazie mille: means thank you/thank you so much.
Don’t be afraid to use some Italian. Everyone is very nice and appreciative when you try to speak in Italian. I believe in you!
The Allergy List
I am not sure if this is something all of Europe does or just Italy but it is so smart. When you order on the menu, usually, you will see little numbers next to a dish. So for example it will say “rigatoni pomodoro 1.6” and then you flip to the back of the menu and see what allergen corresponds with the numbers. So then you would see 1 is for gluten, 6 is for celery etc. This made it SO HELPFUL to just be able to look at dishes I thought maybe would be vegan friendly but then ended up not being suitable. I truly don’t know why we can’t do that here in the US but it is such a game changer. We only went to a few places that didn’t do this. Here is an example picture just to show you what it will look like!
Basic Italian Dishes
Before we go into the restaurants I went to and ones I wanted to try I want to give you a list of things you should be able to eat anywhere. There is so much food in Italy that is just naturally vegan.
- Bruschetta pomodoro: this is just toasted bread with tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and garlic. It is so yummy and most restaurants should have this on the menu. I even found some places had it with olive tapenade as well.
- Pizza marinara: just a regular pizza with sauce and olive oil. There’s no cheese and it really is so delicious. You can always ask to throw some veggies on top!
- Carciofi alla Romana: these are Roman style artichokes. They are cooked with olive oil and seasonings, so delicious. There are also whole fried artichokes Carciofi alla Guida that are amazing.
- Pasta pomodoro: this is just pasta in tomato sauce, I always made sure to specify no cheese just in case. *NOTE ABOUT PASTA: in Italy a lot of restaurants offer fresh pasta which is made with egg. So just look out on the menu for anything that says pasta made by hand, pasta made in house, pasta fresca. You want to look at the menu for pasta secca which means dried pasta. Typically, penne or spaghetti is a safe bet for dry pasta.
- Pasta arrabbiata: this is my favorite pasta. It is a spicy tomato sauce and it is so good.
- Patate al forno: roasted potatoes! There are a lot of restaurants with roasted potatoes on the menu or you can get patate fritti which is fried potatoes.
- Rapini or Friarielli: this broccoli rabe. I grew up eating and loving broccoli rabe usually cooked in oil, garlic, and some red pepper flakes. Even better throw in on some bread for a sandwich.
- Focaccia: a fluffy thick bread, one of my favorites. I also have a recipe on the blog if you ever want to make your own.
- Panini: these are just sandwiches but you can always ask to just get a bunch of vegetables on your sandwich.
- Sorbet: most gelato shops have at least 1 to 2 sorbet options. You can always double check if the flavor is good for vegans. I love lemon on a hot day after walking around it is so refreshing!
- Pasta fagioli: this is not always vegan so it is important to ask. But it is just usually beans and pasta in a soup, so delicious and hearty.
Roma/Rome
Here is a list of the restaurants I went in Roma! I spent the most amount of time there so I got to try a lot of places. However, there were still some I would’ve liked to try so I will include those too.
Julietta’s Pastry & Lab
The cutest little vegan bakery! It is about a 20 minute cab ride from the main part of Rome but it is well worth the visit. You are also getting out of the super touristy part so it was nice to walk around after and see all the cute old Italian men drinking their morning cappuccino. There are tons of baked goods, vegan cheeses, vegan spreads, and some dry baked good mixes. I got a vegan cruffin and vegan maritozzo. Maritozzo is a traditional Roman pastry and it is basically brioche with a cream in the middle.
Origano Campo de’ Fiori
This restaurant isn’t fully vegan but they amazing vegan dishes. I was so stuck between deciding what to get but I wound up ordering the vegan suppli, vegan carbonara, and vegan tiramisu. Oh my goodness, this was one of my favorite meals I had. Suppli are Roman rice balls, they are shaped more like a cylinder than a ball like arancini. The vegan carbonara was so rich, I truly still can’t get over it and I need to figure out how to recreate this. The tiramisu was so delicious, I don’t even have words. They also have vegan lasagna, cacio e pepe, gnocchi sorrentina, pizzas, more desserts. Seriously, it is a must try, I would get on a back plane to Italy right now just for this!
The Gelatist
This seemed to be a gelato chain. They have regular and vegan options. I had a rice milk based pistachio (pistacchio) and hazelnut (nocciola) that were so good! Their flavors are marked as vegan which makes it very easy. They also have all fruit based sorbets in so many flavors. I tried the banana and it was delicious.
Il Gelatone Roma
A gelato place that is about a 10 minute walk from the Colosseum. They have a few vegan flavors that are marked as vegan. I had the pistachio, hazelnut, and chocolate (cioccolato). It was so creamy and delicious, this was my second favorite gelato place I had this trip.
Ristorante Al 34
Okay, to be fair this is just a regular restaurant but the food was amazing. It was right by the Spanish steps but didn’t have that super touristy feel. I got the Carciofi alla Romana and just pasta pomodoro but they were both so flavorful. Make sure you get some bread for dipping in the artichoke oil. The sauce was truly out of this world so sweet and delicious.
Hostaria Pantheon
Again this is just a regular standard restaurant. It is right by the Pantheon and it is a little bit touristy because of the location but the food was so good. The waiters are a lot of fun. I had just gotten bruschetta pomodoro and penne arrabbiata here but they were both delicious. The location is fun make sure to sit outside because you are just dining basically right next to the Pantheon.
Here are restaurants I wanted to try but didn’t get to:
Buddy Veggy
An all vegan restaurant that has a big breakfast menu, some items from other cuisines like falafel and nuggets, and the Roman classics. They even have seitan and Beyond Meat so it is pretty cool!
Rifugio Romana
Traditional Roman cuisine like pasta cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara etc. They have pizza, dessert, appetizers truly everything you could want. I am sad I didn’t get to try here but next time I will.
Grezzo
A raw vegan chocolate shop! They have gelato, truffles, and chocolates.
Napoli/Naples
We spent the least amount of time in Napoli. We were also pretty tired when we were there so we did eat more at our hotel than anything. However, I found some super yummy food and I have restaurants I wish I could’ve tried there. Also, we sadly did not get any pizza. It was special to go to Napoli because that is where my mom’s side of the family was from. However, we were very tired and not super hungry so I didn’t get to experience all the food I would’ve liked.
Il Gelatiere
A gelato place that had vegan gelato. This was my FAVORITE gelato I had all trip. I had hazelnut, pistachio, and cremino. Cremino is a vanilla flavor with chocolate in it. Their flavors were clearly marked as vegan and were made with soy milk.
Green M’ama
Their menu for food isn’t really Italian. They have things like vegan chicken sandwiches, bowls, wraps, and bao. I didn’t try their food but I did get dessert from there. I had ordered a few things to try but and keep in the hotel room and they were all delicious. The vegan tiramisu was amazing. Their vegan caramel cheesecake was very good. I had also gotten the Easter cake which was orange cake with lemon glaze and almonds, I believe it was just a special.
Antichi Sapori Partenopei
When we were in Napoli it was Easter and we needed to find a restaurant to eat. Our hotel had recommended here. The food was delicious and they did have marked vegan items on their menu. To be fair it was just the vegetable side dishes but I did appreciate things being marked as vegan. I got the eggplant in tomato sauce which was amazing. Zucchini alla scapece which is zucchini in white wine vinegar, mint, and olive oil. Finally, the broccoli rabe aka friarielli this was soft, tender, and spicy! These dishes with some bread I was really full.
The Britannique Naples
This was our hotel we stayed at. They had a nice breakfast buffet that had an array of things fresh fruit, veggies, breads, chickpeas, rice. It gave me some nice options. They also had a veggie soup marked as vegan on their menu. They had delicious bread as well. We sat outside and had mocktails too!
Here is one restaurant I wanted to try but didn’t get to:
Cavoli Nostri
They have all kinds of street food and appetizers, pasta, seitan, tofu, and delicious sounding desserts.
Lago di Como/Lake Como – specifically Bellagio and Tremezzo
We spent 3 nights in Bellagio and I have to say it was my favorite part of the trip. The lake, the mountains covered in snow, the beautiful little towns it truly felt like a fairytale. I will say we spoke to a lot of the people who lived there and said April/May and October are the best times to visit since it isn’t really crowded. However, it is such a beautiful part of Italy. You can even just take a day trip from Milan!
La Goletta
This is a restaurant at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni located in Bellagio. They have a few marked vegan items on their menu. I got the marinated tofu with lentils and after a week of no tofu I was SO happy to finally get some back in my system.
Terrazza Darsena
This is the terrace at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni located in Bellagio. It was so beautiful to sit out here and have aperitivo. I actually got a fun mocktail one time and a tea. They have vegan options on their menu. I got a vegan couscous salad that had tofu and veggies it was delicious. They also had a vegan burger and some other marked vegan options. Also, as you sit there they will bring out chips, olives, other dishes (I couldn’t eat) but it is such a fun time.
Buffet at Serbelloni
Out of all the breakfast buffets we had at the hotels this was by far my favorite. They had vegan croissants so yes I had one every morning obviously! They also had these amazing beans, hashbrowns, veggies, fruit, chia seeds, juices, breads there was so much to enjoy. *I believe you have to be a guest to have the buffet, however all their other restaurants are open to everyone.
Smooth Operators
A gelato place that has vegan options. They had coffee (caffe) and pistachio. I believe these were soy milk based but I can’t remember for sure. It was delicious.
T-Pizza
Located at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Tremezzo this was the perfect lunch spot. I got a delicious salad, pizza marinara, and virgin spicy pineapple margarita. The focaccia they serve with the meal is also INCREDIBLE. Sitting out by their picturesque pool it is lovely.
L’Escale
Located at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Tremezzo. This was a more upscale restaurant and they only had option fully marked as vegan. The linguine al pomodoro but wow was that sauce out of this world. We also went for lunch, their dinner menu is different. We also enjoyed bread, olives, and nuts with our meal as well as an Aperol spritz.
How to Find Vegan/Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Italy
If this is your first time traveling to a new area I highly suggest using HappyCow.net! It was how I found most of the places I went and was so helpful. I love that website and use it all the time even just checking to see if any new vegan places open up where I live. I also used TikTok just by searching “vegan in Rome” or “vegan in Naples” it was easy to find restaurants. Of course I did a lot of google searching as well before I went and that was why I wanted to share this blog post! Finally, ask around! If you are staying at a hotel you can always ask the front desk or if you go to a vegan restaurant ask them if there are any other restaurants they recommend.
Final Italy Thoughts
I really hope this blog post helped you to either find some places you want to try or at least just let you see how vegan-friendly Italy is. There is so much to eat, see, and do I promise you won’t be bored for one second. You can also always of course visit the grocery stores to get some produce and fun products! So, have fun, enjoy it, and eat some gelato for me. Arrivederci!
OMG. Thank you for this blog, I just read it top to bottom. My family came to America (NJ specifically) from Rome and Scilicy and since being vegan, food has been my biggest concern while going to visit. Now, I feel much better. THANK YOU!!! Happy you had a great trip.
hi Melissa!!! i am so so glad this blog post can help you! Awww my dad’s side of the family is from Sicily! I wish we could’ve visited there too but I will have to save it for next time. But yes so so many options and so much great food you will be totally fine. have the best time!!!! <3
Love the blog and photographs. The vegan cuisine certainly looks delicious. When I was last in Italy I wasn’t vegan so this will be extremely useful when I eventually go back to visit. So glad to know there are lots of sumptuous vegan options in the places you mentioned. Inspiring to also cook some dishes at home.
Sadly, the best meal I had in Rome was in a Chinese Restaurant, which was really impressive. I must have gone to the wrong Roman restaurants. Milan was a different story, especially great pizzas. Hotel not so good. Didn’t eat in Lake Como as it was a short day trip, next time.
Grazie mille.
Hi Ravina! Well I am so glad to hear this blog post can be helpful thank you for taking the time to check it out and read it. thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and yay for vegan food in the world!! 🙂
Thank you so much! Italy is on our bucket list and your blog is going to be very helpful in our planning. Your photos are stunning!
Hi Jill! you are so welcome. I am so glad it can help thank you for checking it out and leaving a comment!
Oh, I just loved this blog! Thank you so much for writing about your trip. One of the places I have on my bucket list to visit is Italy (and another is France – not sure it would be as vegan-friendly!), and I was wondering how I would fare there, trying to say the phrases that you included. Thanks for that, also. I’m gonna bookmark this page so that if I can go to Italy within the next couple of years, I will still have all this wonderful info that you mentioned. I’m so happy for you that you had a good visit, and I’m sure that with all the help you gave us, my visit (and anyone else’s who’s read this blog) will be much better than it would have been without your blog!
Hi Judith! Aw thank you so much for the kind words! I am so happy to hear this blog post helped you out. Italy is so vegan-friendly so I know whenever you go you will have the best time. Sadly, I have heard France isn’t as vegan-friendly but I want to go there too one day just to see it! thank you for leaving a comment it means so much!
Such amazing tips, thank you! The photography is lovely and makes me want to visit. Though I don’t have plans now, I will def check this out again when I do go.
Hi Nicole!! thank you so much for taking the time to check it out. I hope you get to go soon <3
This will be so helpful! Thank you for sharing your experience and recommendations!!
Hi Margarita! oh good I am so glad you enjoyed this blog post thank you for taking the time to read it!