24 Hours in Palermo: A gluten-free guide

Vittoria: 27 years old, a coeliac girl living life one flight at a time.

A sweet day starts with a cannolo

As Italian, I find in Sicily everything that makes my country such an amazing travel destination: beautiful beaches, rocky mountains, green countryside, ancient history and (of course!) delicious food traditions!

Palermo, the main city of the island, offers all of it in a matter of some kilometers. So are you ready to discover it all with me?

Well, what about starting the day with a fresh (and gluten free) Sicilian cannolo? “Delizie Senza Glutine” is a traditional Sicilian bakery with both sweet and savory solutions for coeliacs and gluten intolerants.

Palermo city center is filled with culture and history, with references from over a thousand years ago. But after an entire morning visiting magnificent royal palaces and Baroque churches, it’s time to take a rest by the crystal blue water of Mondello, the sandy beach at less than half an hour from the main center.

There, you can’t miss “Poldo 2”, a lovely pizza place just on the beach, with a full gluten free menu ready to be tasted.

The Sicilian culinary tradition is all about deep fried dishes, from the sweet cannolo to the worldwide famous arancina, a deep-fried rice ball filled with so much more! Among the most famous preparations from this part of Sicily there are panelle, a thin bread made with chickpeas flour and (guess what?) deep fried. It’s an experience to try them, especially as appetizer before the main course arrives. At “Fud Bottega Sicula” celiacs can eat them too, as they are deep fried separately from the other preparations (upon request). But once you go there, I’d suggest you to leave some space for their amazing gluten free paninis too!

Sicily is also one of the best places to choose if you’re looking for great weather, warm temperatures and a bright sun from March till late October! However, this also means that you’d have to deal with the hot in most cases. And what’s the best remedy if not a gluten free cone of gelato? At “Cono & co” they provide you gluten free cone (upon request) filled with freshly-made Italian ice-cream of different flavours!

Before dinner, an Italian tradition is Aperitivo, which consists of waiting for the evening with a glass of wine and some finger food (mostly cheese, ham and salami). Usually it’s served with some bread, but luckily I always have with me Schär’s “Pocket crackers” in my pursue, perfect for these occasions :)