Traveling to Italy is fairly safe with a peanut or nut allergy, but we caution those traveling with a shellfish allergy. For us, Italy is the destination where we learned to love travel, food and culture and a superb destination for beginners. The best way to see the sights and eat the local cuisine is to plan ahead.
How We Learned to Travel Without Fear: Italy
There are many reasons why you may have stumbled upon our blog, and this post today; though each of you may have a different motive for reading our posts, Chase and I felt it was important to explain how we got here. How did we fall in love and learn to travel without fearing the worst? The one word that will sum it up is: Italy.
Why We Chose Italy
Traveling to a foreign country is enough to make one’s blood pressure rise and stress skyrocket. Now add any food allergy to the mix and those fears alone will make you want stay within your home country. While we wanted to immerse ourselves in a culture foreign to us, we did not want a culture overload, and most importantly we wanted to feel safe. As such, we enlisted the help of Google. We chose to stick to a country in Europe for many reasons. First, Europeans, similar to Americans are somewhat aware of food allergies. I’m not saying they are experts, but they are aware.
The second reason? The pasta, of course. Coming from an very Italian background, I am quite aware of the ingredients used in many of the foods. Additionally, we did a lot of research understanding the type of nuts used in common dishes. In Europe, they are required to list 14 of the main food allergens on packaged foods, for some reason, this alone made me feel safer about the idea of heading to a country where we spoke very little of their language.
Once we felt comfortable with our destination, we got to planning. If it was not enough that this was my first real trip outside of North America, we decided to go as a graduation gift to each other. Great…two broke college kids, traveling through a country they have never been too and have only heard stories of from my Grandmother.
But nonetheless we packed our bags….and prepared to embark on the first, of many trips.
Classic Italian Itinerary for the First Time Traveler
Now we did not want to go crazy with the itinerary, so we stuck to many of the top tourist spots in Italy. There is so much to see throughout the country, and we definitely hit many of the highlights on our week long trip, which we believed was the perfect itinerary for first time “world travelers”
The route? Very simple, three destinations, three days each:
- Praino, the Amalfi Coast
- Rome
- Montepulciano, Tuscany
The Amalfi Coast and Praino
The Amalfi Coast was our first stop in Italy, after arriving in Rome. The coast, which can be reached from Naples is rather easy to access via Italian Rail Lines directly from Rome. Upon arriving in Naples, and meeting our driver, Chase and I were simply in awe of the beautifully colored buildings, fresh smells and blue skies. Our drive to Praino, our final destination, took about an hour and a half.
Scents of fresh lemon and olives seep through the seemingly beautiful streets within the towns along the Amalfi Coast. There are multiple destinations to stay at along the Amalfi Coast, including Positano, Ravello and Amalfi itself; each offering their own taste of coastal living. More often than not, most people select to stay in Positano, a picturesque coastal town. We chose to stay in the sister town to Positano, Praino. Praino is about a thirty minute winding drive from Positano, and much less “touristy.”
The Hotel Margherita staff is amazing. They greeted us open arms and comforted that our food allergy would not be a problem any time we chose to eat at the hotel. The hotel was perched atop a small hill with stunning views of the coast. There is a restaurant M’ama! which offers fantastic local wines and a great view of the coast, anytime of day.
The Food
The hotel restaurant, M’ama! has a wonderful selection for dinner each night. We highly recommend anyone who travels to the coast eat here one night. The chef was even nice enough to discuss the menu each time we ate there. Dinners consist primarily of a nice selection of fresh caught fish, pasta, salads, and the most stunning frozen lemon ice presentation I have ever seen (to this day.) I kid you not, these lemons are the size of a baby’s head, and they are oh so sweet.
Additionally, this hotel offers a breakfast each morning in the lobby which consists of local breads, muffins, fruits and deli meats, nothing too fancy, but enough to get through the morning.
Exploring All the Coast Has to Offer
As our stay in the Amalfi Coast continued, we began to let our fear of coming in contact with peanuts drift away (I mean, who wouldn’t when you are distracted by the wonderful views and sipping seemingly endless glasses of wine!) We even mustered up the courage to take a full day boat trip to the island of Capri. Capri itself is very touristy, but still stunning, and is home to the Blue Grotto. There is no question that this is a must do for any first timers visiting Italy. For a small fee, you and your significant other can hop in a small row boat and enter the grotto. Once inside the grotto you are welcome to take a plunge into the shimmering blue waters.
Most importantly, Positano is a shoppers paradise. To travel between Positano and Praino there is a city bus which runs every half hour. The bus has multiple stops between the two towns and is the perfect way (in my opinion) to see the two towns. More often than not, the best way to immerse yourself into a culture is to explore the streets by walking around and shopping. This is just what we did. There were so many small twisting streets which lead to the most beautiful pottery boutiques, clothing shops and restaurants. The streets are lined with merchants which sell everything from the freshest limoncello to trinkets for the children. Most shops, we found also ship internationally, especially the pottery stores, which is a huge perk.
While we definitely did not stay as long as I would have liked (a novice mistake) we did have enough time to take in some of the amazing sites around the coast.
Rome – A History Buff’s Paradise
You will have no trouble speaking English in Rome. This was one of the main reasons most of our trip was spent here. In Rome you will find the traditional Italian Food including gelato and pasta. Do let your servers know of any allergies, especially when purchasing gelato. The hotel concierge at our hotel, Albergo Del Senato provided us with many food options which would be safe for someone with a peanut allergy. Our favorite was Il Bacaro, off the mains streets of Rome. Il Bacaro had a fresh selection of cheese and wine and absolutely fantastic pastas. The wait staff at the restaurant were also very accommodating when it came to explaining dishes which would be safe to eat. Il Bacaro is very popular, and if you want to sit outside, we suggest grabbing a reservation through your hotel concierge.
What About the Activities?
Any first timer to Italy will inevitably want to visit the staples, Vatican, Colosseum, Pantheon, etc. We bought the Roma 72 Hour Pass to enjoy most of the city sites and skip the ticket lines. It can be bought here.The pass allows you to visit the first two museums or archeological sites of your choice from a wide range of participating venues. You should use one of those visits at the Colosseum, as there is a separate entrance allowing you to skip the line. The pass (to my knowledge) can not be used at the Vatican, you have to buy additional tickets (more on that later.)
Similar to the Amalfi Coast, the best way to explore the city is to get out and walk around. Many popular destinations are “walkable” from the hotels with a little bit of preparation. Remember how I said more on the Vatican later? Well here it goes:
Travel Tip: You must, and I say must, purchase your tickets prior to arriving at the Vatican. This is to prevent you from getting scammed. Many local “guides” will try to sell “skip the line” tickets, ignore them. Buy tickets directly from the Vatican website, you can do that here. Second, go early if you plan on also visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, as this is not included in your museum entrance tickets. Finally, it is important to note that within the Sistine Chapel there are many people. If you are claustrophobic, prepare ahead of time.
The Tuscan Hills
We were the most nervous to travel into Tuscany, knowing that people speak less English outside of the main cities. However, even in Tuscany we found most speak English, and were very accommodating to our allergy. There are a ton of wineries to visit in the areas surrounding Montepulciano. Our favorite is, Poggio il Castellare, which offers fantastic white wines and lovely dishes with fresh olive oils, cheese and cured meats. There, we never once were made to feel guilty about asking what ingredients were included.
The town of Montepilciano itself is made up of winding roads, tourist shops, and beautiful piazzas. It is located in the Sienna region in Tuscany, about an hour outside of Rome. It makes a fantastic day trip. You will definitely want to carry allergy cards here, although many locals do speak English.
What Made us Comfortable?
The Italian culture is one of family. At each meal and hotel stop along the we were meant to feel that way. Our accommodations were answered and more often than not we were able to speak to the chef prior to dining. As the first time out of the country, and traveling with just a peanut allergy, albeit a very severe one, this puts ones mind at ease. Italy was the first of 15 countries we have been to. The country and our experience enabled us to feel more comfortable traveling to unfamiliar places.
The Bottom Line
Italy is one of the best places to travel as a first destination. The cities are easy to navigate, the food is fantastic, and the people are very sweet and accommodating. You will find that there are many spots which seem to have a lot of tourists, and that is okay, each of those places are still remarkably beautiful and photogenic. Plan your trip according to what you want to see, and plan to go early to most destinations. Traveling to Italy is fairly safe with just a nut allergy, but we caution those traveling with a fish allergy. There is always a possibility of cross contamination, and with the amount of fish eaten in Italy, we would not be surprised for an incident to occur. When in doubt, there are a plethora of American eateries in the city where you can get a burger and fries.
~Always be conscious of what you are consuming, but don’t let your allergies stop you from having amazing experiences.
A&C