Allervibe
Eating with a food allergy in Italy
Italy takes coeliac disease seriously — gluten-free menus are common and pharmacies stock gluten-free pasta — but dairy, egg and nut allergies get less attention, and a trattoria menu names dishes, not ingredients. A card in Italian gets a straight answer from the kitchen.
What labels and restaurants will tell you
- The EU 14 allergens must be highlighted on packaged food, and Italian restaurants must provide allergen information for their dishes (D.Lgs. 231/2017), usually as a numbered legend on the menu.
- Look for the AIC (Associazione Italiana Celiachia) crossed-grain symbol and "senza glutine" — Italy has one of Europe's best gluten-free networks.
- "Può contenere tracce di…" is voluntary and tells you nothing about quantity.
Where the common allergens hide
- Milk: parmesan on pasta by default, mozzarella and ricotta in fillings, butter in risotto and northern cooking.
- Egg: fresh pasta (tagliatelle, ravioli), carbonara, tiramisù, many biscuits.
- Nuts: pine nuts in pesto (and often cashews in commercial pesto), almonds in amaretti and cantucci, hazelnut in gianduja and Nutella.
- Fish and shellfish: anchovies in sauces and on pizza, seafood in risotto and pasta, colatura di alici.
How to use the card
Hand it over before you order, not after the food arrives, and wait for the person who cooks — not just the one who takes the order — to read it. If a dish is doubtful, the safest answer is a different dish, not a modified one. For packaged food, scan the barcode with Allervibe: it reads the ingredient list in the local language and checks it against the same allergens on your card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Italian allergy card free?
Yes. Pick your allergens, add a name if you want one, and print. No account, no app, no email.
Who translated the card?
The allergen names and the card wording are the same translations used inside the Allervibe app, reviewed by native speakers. They use the legal allergen terms, not slang, so a cook or waiter recognises them at once.
What size is it?
Credit-card size (85.6 × 54 mm), so it fits a wallet or phone case. Print two and keep one in your passport.
Can I make one in a language other than Italian?
Yes — the language picker on this page offers fourteen languages, and you can print a card in each.
Cards in other languages
Japanese · Thai · Vietnamese · Greek · Turkish · German · French · Spanish · Portuguese · Dutch · Polish · Croatian · All languages
