Leopoldo in Naples has plenty of traditional GF pasteries to try. (Katie Wells)
Italy is the place to be if you are gluten-free (GF), especially if you love pastries, and Napoli (Naples) does not disappoint. On a recent trip, a new friend and resident graciously showed me around like a local.
When the awkward question of what we should eat came up, I started my “well… I’m actually GF….” Spiel when, she glanced over at me and said, “No way!” She was newly gluten-free as well. So, on our adventures, we made it a point to try the local GF eats of Napoli.
One of my favorite things to do is look up food particular to a region. Often, I can find a pastry shop, restaurant or even grocery store where I too can experience the delicacies of the place I am traveling to.
My must try-list for Naples included:
Sfogliatella Riccia (a flakey, shell-shaped ricotta and lemon-filled pastry from the Campania region.
Pasta Carbonara from 120 Grammi Spaghetti Takeaway
Scouring The Oven of Celiac, a 100% GF Grocery store.
Our first stop was Leopoldo Cafebar. We ducked in from the chaos that is the heart of Naples, and found we had the place mostly to ourselves. The pastry case had a generous, separate selection of GF options such as cakes, sweet breads and the first item on my list—Sfogliatella Riccia, which was perfectly golden.
Senza Glutine (GF) pastry case at Leopoldo Cafebar (Katie Wells )
We paid a small service fee to sit and have our pastries while sipping cappuccinos. The layers of my Sfogliatella Riccia peeled back with ease, the filling sweet and tangy with the perfect twist of lemon. It turns out there are two locations. The other shop, Leopoldo Cafebar-Senza Glutine is entirely GF and located near the National Archeological Museum.
A GF safely packaged Sfogliatella Riccia (Katie Wells )
A GF Sfogliatella Riccia on a pretty golden plate (Katie Wells)
Our second stop was 120 Grammi Spaghetti Takeaway, a ticket-based restaurant, where you get a box of pasta to go. This place was, to put it simply, cool. It’s not often I find a small hole in the wall type place with great GF options. My pasta carbonara was six euros, with simple ingredients, generous portions and freshly made.
People gathered at 120 Grammi Speghetti Takeaway storefront (Katie Wells)
My friend and I soon realized this spot was a hidden gem. After ordering, we hung out on the sidewalk with the youths of Napoli, college students and young couples joking around unbothered by the queue.
Victoria and Katie with GF Spaghetti (Katie Wells)
Our number was far off, so we checked out the thrift shops across the street, found some treasure and returned just before our order was up. Headed back towards the car, we looked for a spot to sit and eat. Other groups sat against buildings and on the steps leading to a college, enjoying their box of spaghetti.
120 Grammi Spaghetti Takeaway’s delicious Pasta Carbonara (Katie Wells)
We found a bench in a quiet courtyard and dug into the creamy pasta with crispy pork cheek while watching a man park his motorcycle, remove his seat and take it into a building as we ate our meal agreeing it was worth the wait.
Next up was, an entirely GF grocery store, Il Forno Del Celiaco (The Oven of Celiac), just a seven minute-drive from Naples Support Site in Gricignano di Aversa. This place is a haven. It had a small cafe with freshly baked pastries and savory snacks. Italian treats, cookies, breadsticks, crackers, flour variations and differing shapes of pasta filled the aisles and there were plenty of refrigerated and freezer options. Even in October, the store already had beautiful GF Panettone for the holidays.
Walking up to the entrance of The Oven of Celiac, a GF haven (Katie Wells)
The Oven of Celiac shelves filled top to bottom with GF brands (Katie Wells)
The Oven of Celiac GF cakes and cookies (Katie Wells)
The Oven of Celiac GF Ravioli (Katie Wells)
The Oven of Celiac GF brands like Schar (Katie Wells)
The Oven of Celiac GF Beer (Katie Wells)
Gluten-free section at Eurospin (Katie Wells)
Gluten-free section at Selex grocery store (Katie Wells)
I purchased a couple of bags of pasta, including the base (a mix of scraps or shapes) for Pasta E Patate a home recipe for pasta stew with potatoes, which my friend explained is a hearty home staple in Napoli culture. I also couldn’t resist buying tiramisu, lemon biscotti and a few fresh mini pizzas for dinner back at my hotel.
We visited several other grocery stores with GF sections, and in my opinion, Naples does a great job offering gluten free options. There are many unique things to try, so much so that the zipper on my suitcase nearly popped from trying to take too many treats back to Germany.
AiC (Associazione Italiana Celiachia)
The Italian Celiac Association has high standards for making kitchens safe from cross-contamination. Look for the red AiC logo when eating senza glutine, or gluten-free in Italy. You can often find the logo on the menus, windows and doors of an establishment. The accreditation is a sign that a food venue follows a strict process to ensure food is safe for people with celiac disease to consume. To research GF restaurants beforehand, download the app AiC Mobile.
