Food allergies

Allergies

If you suffer from severe allergies, always travel with an EpiPen and an Allergy Card in Italian. You can pick up a prescription-free antihistamine in Italian pharmacies. The European-wide emergency phone number with English speaking operators is 112.

Although still uncommon on most Italian menus, EU laws specify that restaurant menus should label the top 14 most common allergens, including celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soya and sulphites.

Look for these symbols: A signifies dishes including cereals containing gluten; C eggs; E peanuts; G milk and lactose etc.

Anyone allergic to milk or peanuts should avoid fried foods as peanut oil (olio di arachidi) is common and may have been used to fry food with milk proteins in it.