Food is important, it doesn’t matter if you’re visiting a city for the first time or going on an annual visit. And if you have food allergies then knowing what’s available to eat is pretty important. Today I’m talking about Gluten specifically. Gluten is everywhere in Italy: noodles, pastries, pizza, etc. For tourists and residents alike with celiac disease this is a pretty big factor to take into consideration when looking to plan a dinner out or even just to grab a snack and let’s be honest, carbs are really the bee’s knee’s so nobody should be excluded from the festivities; luckily there are places like Starbene, a favorite gluten free bakery… so far.
A few blocks past the Galleria degli Uffizi, Starbene sits tucked between a record shop, Data Records, and an apartment building. The actual address can be found here here.
Inside you’re greeted by bright lights and a friendly staff. Like most spaces in Florence there’s not a ton of square footage, but they make amazing use out of what they have. There are rows of beautiful pastries, tarts, cakes, the list goes on. But that’s not all, they also have pizza, calzones, and bread for those looking for something a little more savory. To top things off there’s a quant sitting area in the back (I wouldn’t take a party of 15 and expect there to be space, but a group of 3 would fit just fine.)
Starbene can also serve as a one stop shop for your gluten free basics too. So if you just want to grab some gluten free ravioli or pizza dough, they have it. Or if you want to try your hand at making it from scratch they have several types of gluten free flower options. Or maybe you just want some cookies to keep tucked away for a rainy day, they have you covered.
Oh and if you aren’t comfortable with the Italian language just yet, don’t worry they know some English!
Ciao,
Logan
Logan Wescott studies Fashion Merchandising at @Logan.Epcot, and is also blogging at badcollages.wordpress.com.