Tutto è meglio con il vino! (Everything is better with wine 
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As the Italians say…
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Mangiare! Mangiare!
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And so, I did 
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C’mon…you don’t have to tell me that twice!
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As a mentioned in this post, eating a plant-based diet while vacationing in Italy proved to be far from difficult– mainly because fresh food and produce is so readily available over there. Fruit and veggie stands dot the streets, making it easy to grab a healthy snack during the day or to stock up on bread, wine and salad fixings to whip up and easy dinner back at the hotel.
If you want to go out for a nice Italian dinner, don’t worry! It’s not even close to a problem. I found that the majority of restaurant menus included a variety of tasty vegan and vegetarian-friendly sides, soups, and appetizers in the antipasti (small bites/appetizer), zuppa (soup), insalata (salad), and contorni (side dishes) sections of the menus. Order a few small dishes and voilà! You have a tasty meal.
Another bonus? You really don’t have to worry about butter being used to cook your food in Italy because Italians use olive oil for everything! I never had to bother anyone with questions about preparation or ask my server to omit any butter or sauces. In fact, I don’t think I saw butter once the entire time I was there–even when toast was served at breakfast. And who needs butter when the olive oil tastes so ahh-ma-zinggg?! Believe me…after you taste real italian olive oil (cold press, first press), your life will change forever. Okay, a bit dramatic, but I swear it’s true! Eventually I broke down and bought a very expensive bottle of E.V.O.O. because the cheap stuff you find over here in the U.S. just doesn’t seem to cut it anymore.
And last but not least…we can’t forget about dessert!
What’s my personal favorite you might ask?
Why, GELATO of course!
Believe it or not, you can find dairy-free gelato at many gelato shops in Italy. If you’re looking for something fruity and refreshing, try the sorbetto. It’s much like sorbet in the U.S. only better. This treat doesn’t contain milk and it’s made of mostly water, fruit, and sugar. But if you’re craving something sweet, creamy, and a tad bit indulgent…be sure to look for soy-based gelato (soia= soy). This gelato is made with soy milk, and let me warn you now…it’s super addictive! I went crazy for the pistachio gelato at Gelateria Blu Ice. Even mom (who isn’t vegan) liked it
The list below highlights some of my favorite dishes to order while in Florence and Rome:
- Grilled vegetables (verdure grigliate ): Typically grilled eggplant, onions, zucchini, red peppers, artichokes, tomatoes, and/or radicchio drizzled with olive oil and pepper.
- Bruschetta: Toasted bread rubbed with olive oil and garlic and finished with a variety of toppings such as diced tomatoes, basil, and/or truffle spread.
- Roman artichokes (carciofi romani): Artichokes that are trimmed of everything inedible and cooked in olive oil, herbs and garlic.
- Jewish artichokes (carciofi alla giudia): Fried artichokes.
- Sautéed spinach (spinaci saltati): Spinach sautéed in olive oil, lemon, and pepper.
- Vegetable soup (zuppa di verdure): Exactly that typically a tomato-based, mixed-veggie soup.*
- Minestrone (literally means “big soup”): A thick soup made with pasta, beans and vegetables such as onions, celery, tomatoes, and carrots.*
- Tuscan bean soup (zuppa di fagioli toscana): A soup typically made with cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, escarole, onions, leeks, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, chili peppers, and bay leaves.*
- Pasta fagioli: A meatless stew made with cannellini beans, ditalini or elbow pasta, garlic, spices, onion, olive oil, and tomato.*
- Mixed salad (insalata mista): Mixed greens.
- Bread and oil (l’olio d’oliva e pane): Bread with dipping oil.
- Pizza (pizza marinara): Pizza with tomato sauce (no cheese).
- Angry pasta (pasta all’arrabbiata): Pasta with spicy marinara sauce.**
- Oil and beans (olio e fagioli): Beans cooked with sage and olive oil.
- Fresh fruit (frutta fresca): Seasonal mixed fruit commonly found on the dessert menu.
- Gelato (gelato di soia): Soy-based gelato.
- Cooking styles: all’ agro (boiled), fritto (fried), cotto (baked), ripassati in padella (cooked and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and hot pepper).
- Gluten-free options (senza glutine): polenta (boiled cornmeal), farinata (bread made using chickpea flour), risotto (a rice-based dish–just be sure to check that the broth is gluten-free), gnocchi (a pasta/dumpling dish traditionally made with potato).
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*These soups are typically made without meat, but it is always best to check with the waiter to make sure the broth isn’t meat-based and that there is no cheese added on top. Just ask if the soup is made “senza carne e formaggio ” (without meat and cheese).
**Fresh pasta is often made with eggs. If you order a pasta dish, make sure to ask for “pasta secco,” or dried pasta.
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And now to share a few photos of some of my favorite Italian foods (and a few of my Mom’s!).
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Try not to drool all over your keyboard .
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Grilled veggie plate.
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Nothing like bruschetta and wine for the perfect mid-day snack
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My salad from Dolce Vegan, the vegan restaurant right across the street from our hotel in Florence!
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Mom's falafel and potato wedges from Dolce Vegan.
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Bread and olive oil at our wine tasting.
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Soy hazelnut gelato .
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Mom's pizza .
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My beautiful Mom enjoying some coffee granita, a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water, ice, coffee-flavoring and whipped cream. Sadly, not vegan...but I could totally make my own version (future recipe post??).
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Bread and wine. Need I say more?
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Peach and berry sorbetto.
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Gelato break for Mom and I
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Tuscan bean soup!
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Vegetable soup.
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More gilled veggies.
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Strawberry-lemon sorbetto.
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Ahhh-mazinggg vegan chocolate pie from Dolce Vegan!
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Wine from Dolce Vegan. LOVE the little ladybug .
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The assortment of wines we tasted at the winery in Chianti.
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Dried fruit at the market in Florence.
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Spices, fruit, and veggies at the Florence market.
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A store-owner rearranging biscotti in the shop window.
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Gelato and pastries in a shop window (not exactly vegan, but very pretty! Maybe I'll work on healthy vegan waffles and doughnuts next ).
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The best treat of all? THESE gorgeous shoes! Sadly these sexy little numbers didn't find their way home with me...but someday I swear, these beauties will be mine .
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Healthfully Yours,
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Ashley Michelle
