Upon checking the coeliac associations website there were a few options for eating out even in a small place like Pisa. We had looked up the best place to park the car and found a restaurant that we would walk past on our way to the tower from the parking. It was not a long walk, it took us 10 minutes at the most (walking with kids!) Luckily we stopped by at the restaurant to talk to them on the way into the centre and it turned out they make the pizza dough fresh on order so for pizza you need to pre-order and give them an hour or two to get it ready. I decided this was the time to take a pizza, homemade and fresh so I ordered a pizza base (you can decide which kind you want later) and headed to the tower. They had a separate glutenfree menu and the pizza was only 50 cent more than the normal pizzas = very good value for money! My food AND dessert also came on different design plates than the "normal" food, to make sure there wouold be no confusion.

 

 

When we came back I decided on a pizza with ham and gorgonzola and it was amazingly good!

 

 

 

This time around I decided on a dessert, semi freddo on forest berries. 

 

While we walked around in Pisa I saw this place that claimed to have gluten free if anyone would prefer to eat a bit more central however I would still suggest to do the walk to Scaletta, less than 10 minutes walk and really really good!

 

 

 

 

 

On our second day in Venice we walked by ths place where hubby had eaten during one of his layovers in Venice.

 

 

 

I know I have stopped updating the english version of the blog but I just have to share my experiences on eating gluten free in Italy. Maybe someone will google just like me and find my experiences helpful.

 

As usual I had googled and looked for gluten free alternatives in the cities we were going to visit and I realized that the Italian coeliac association does a hell of a job! They have a guide (both a book and on the internet) for eating out and seem to be educating and checking up on these restaurants to make sure you get safe food. Since I have a liver disease I dont drink alcohol but for anyone intrested I think ALL places we visited could offer glutenfree beer.

 

 

As I sort through my photos and thoughts I will update with posts (and links to them below) and reviews of the restaurants in the places we visited.

 

Here you can read about my experiences in Venice

 

Here is where you will be able to read about my experiences in Pisa

 

Here is where you will be able to read about my experiences in Florence

 

Here is where you will be able to read about my experiences in Verona

 

She doesnt look really well here either...

 

 

Probably the last rain for this year.....

 

Burj Al Arab

 

 

 

oh, and before anyone complains...yes I stopped the car before I took the photo :)

 

 

J didnt throw up last night but earlier this afternoon we were painting egg cups and all of a sudden she said her chest was hurting. She didnt want to finish her egg cup but went to lie down on the sofa and started screaming with pain saying she was hurting so much. Its hard to know how bad the pain was, but she doesnt normally complain about pain so we thought it was best to take her to the clinic here in DSO. The doctor concluded that she has a viral infection and that we keep giving her meds to keep her fever down, he thought the pain was from her heart racing when the fever went up. Now she is feeling fine and playing, not wanting to go to bed even though she was up at 5 am!!

 

This morning we had a playdate at the biketrack near Meydan. The kids and I all looked forward, it was time for me and R to catch up! J only rode her bike and played for about 10 minutes and then she came near me complaining that it was hot, she was tired and her eyes hurt. She lay down on the blanket near us but she kept complaining and her nose was a bit runny. I was sure she was catching a cold, its common (at least for me) to get watery and slightly burning eyes when I have a cold. We stayed put for an hour, it was getting too hot and J was not looking well at all so we decided to go home. She almost slept in the car but 3 minutes away from home she called out "mum i need to throw up!". I stopped the car as quickly as I could and ran around to help her out but I didnt make it. When I opened the door she had her whole mouth full and some hadnt fit and ran out. Poor thing had tried to keep it in! I got her out of the car and she threw up some more before we managed the last bit of drive home. At home she got to relax on a mattress by the tv, that´s standard treatment at our house when you´re sick and at the risk of throwing up (no staying on the sofa!) she felt ok and was hungry so she had some pretzels and a sandwich.

 

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Two hours after she "ate" and 4½ hours after the first vomit she threw up again, twice in a short amount of time and since then nothing (6 hours later). I dont know what to think of it all, it doesnt feel like a normal gastric, too much time inbetween the throwing up and also the hunger? And where does the runny nose and hurting eyes fit in? Only time will tell but Im hoping I get to sleep tonight! J is sleeping on a mattress by the foot of my bed so that I can easily hear her and help her if she has to throw up again. Im therefore sitting here listening to her every move, checking up on her hoping she can make the bucket so I dont have to stay changing sheets in the middle of the night!

 

 

 

 

Its getting a bit too hot for my liking though!

 

 

 

J+L in pre-nursery at San Andrea 2010