Every week a reader gets a chance to put a travel question to the Been there community. Check out how this works

This week's question:

My husband and I would like to spend 7-14 days in Italy seeing both the cultural cities and the beautiful landscapes of the country. The main problem is I have to follow a strict lactose and gluten free diet. Can anyone suggest the best way to see the country?
Lizz

I live in Pistoia in Tuscany. In 1-2 weeks there is so much to enjoy in this region alone: the artistic cities of Florence, Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa, Siena; the gorgeous countryside in the Chianti area, with so many smaller gems like Montalcino, Montepulciano, Orvieto...; the spectacular scenery and coastline of the Maremma in southern Tuscany, an area also rich in historical interest with its Etruscan settlements; the island of Elba, which is a ferry ride from Livorno or Piombino and a popular holiday spot with Tuscans. The Cinque Terre just inside neighbouring Liguria are breathtaking.

Each region is so rich in local traditions, products, spectacular art... Wonderful food and wine too! Venice has its timeless charm, Rome is a must if you have never been to Italy, Naples and Pompeii are fascinating. Sicily is a delight....

Getting around is easiest if you rent a car, but the trains are amazingly cheap and the Intercities and Inter-regional trains are generally reliable, if subject to occasional delays.

As for your diet, the main supermarkets all carry gluten-free brands and alternative milk products. You will be able to find these options on many restaurant menus too although the smaller the place, the less likely it is you will have this choice.

Hope this helps
Ailsa Wood

One possibility would be to do a regional tour, avoiding the typical Venice-Florence-Rome plod in favour of a less touristy trip that encompasses the Dolomites and several northern Italian towns. Late spring is a great time for such a trip.

Take a Ryanair to “Venice Airport” (Treviso). Visit some or all of Venice and its Laguna, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, the Garda Lake and its beautiful surroundings. Hike in the mountains, e.g. in the Little Dolomites and Brenta ranges. Visit Brescia, Bergamo, Milan, and fly back from Milan.

You can use Italy's cheap and excellent rail transport for most for the inter-city transportation, and hire a car for the countryside / mountain part between Verona and Brescia.

One advantage of this itinerary is that you would visit an area where risotto (rice) and polenta (corn) are more prevalent than wheat-based pasta, so it would be easy to deal with gluten allergies without too much inconvenience.
A.P.

I would recommend visiting cities that have a macrobiotic restaurant. They are almost everywhere in Italy and they follow a strict vegetarian + fish diet excluding any milk or derivative product (like cheese). Any pasta they cook is generally gluten free as they use only wholemeal pasta. Vegetables are organic and grown locally.

It's an association, therefore you have to buy a membership card at the first place you visit (it costs something like €5) and it's valid in every "Un Punto Macrobiotico". Dining is usually cheaper than in most restaurants as they are mostly run by volunteers.

You might need a car and bring a GPS Satnav because they tend to be in places a bit outside of the city center.

I would recommend the ones in Bologna and on the coast like Rimini or Riccione. The ones in the Marche region are probably the best because the man who introduced the macrobiotic diet to Italy lives there and a lot of the food they sell is grown there. Marche it's also a less known yet beautiful place to see... less noisy tourists around.

I attach the list at the bottom of this mail. It might be a good idea to phone them while planning to check they are still there. Moreover, some of these places "migrate" to the countryside during the summer.

Italy has a large percentage of organic farming, a lot of great local products and we now run a succesful network of GAS (groups of people who get together to buy local organic products directly from farmers at great prices) that help local farmers survive etc.

If you can, stay in places called "Agriturismo" they are farms + bed and breakfast. They generally grow their own food and they know everything about what you're eating.

I think it's a good way to discover a different Italy.

Hope this helps.
Massimo

Un Punto Macrobiotico
24015 San Giovanni Bianco (BG) - 11, PIAZZA ZIGNONI
tel: 0345 41154

Un Punto Macrobiotico Sas
24047 Treviglio (BG) - 47/E, VIA TASSO TORQUATO
tel: 0363 47533

Associazione Un Punto Macrobiotico
24124 Bergamo (BG) - 17, VIA S. CATERINA
tel: 035 270549

Associazione Un Punto Macrobiotico
24122 Bergamo (BG) - 36, VIA QUARENGHI GIACOMO
tel: 035 321377

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
20090 Segrate (MI) - 15, PIAZZA DEI FIORI
tel: 02 2137713

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Figlie'Daniela
20018 Sedriano (MI) - 36, VIA ALESSANDRO MANZONI
tel: 02 90310331

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Mezzana Bigli
27030 Mezzana Bigli (PV) - 103, VIA ROMA
tel: 0384 88450

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Mezzana Bigli
27030 Mezzana Bigli (PV) - 1, VIA COLONNA
tel: 0384 88220

Un Punto Macrobiotico
40129 Bologna (BO) - 1/E, VIA TIARINI ALESSANDRO
tel: 051 352354

Un Punto Macrobiotico
43044 Collecchio (PR) - 81, VIA SPEZIA
tel: 0521 802048

Un Punto Macrobiotico
48012 Bagnacavallo (RA) - 30, VIA GARIBALDI
tel: 0545 63699

Un Punto Macrobiotico
42100 Reggio Emilia (RE) - 55, VIA ROMA
tel: 0522 406235

Un Punto Macrobiotico
42100 Reggio Emilia (RE) - 64/A, VIA ROMA
tel: 0522 541687

Un Punto Macrobiotico
47023 Cesena (FC) - 54, VIA MARINELLI
tel: 0547 611505

Un Punto Macrobiotico
42015 Correggio (RE) - 26, GALLERIA POLITEAMA
tel: 0522 732345

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
47100 Forli' (FC) - 14/C, VIA FRATTI ANTONIO
tel: 0543 25628

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
47900 Rimini (RN) - 26, VIA DUCCIO
tel: 0541 782844

Ristorante Un Punto Macrobiotico Snc
47100 Forli' (FC) - 47, VIALE BOLOGNESI DOMENICO
tel: 0543 370900

Un Punto Macrobiotico
36061 Bassano Del Grappa (VI) - 45, VIA ROMA
tel: 0424 227152

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Borin Dorina Dorina
39100 Bolzano (BZ) - 2, PIAZZA QUATTRO NOVEMBRE
tel: 0471 281516

Associazione Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
39100 Bolzano (BZ) - 6, VIA VERONA
tel: 0471 266648

Primula Un Punto Macrobiotico
39012 Merano (BZ) - 82, VIA DELLE CORSE
tel: 0473 235130

Ristorante Un Punto Macrobiotico
39100 Bolzano (BZ) - 6, VIA VERONA
tel: 0471 262526

Un Punto Macrobiotico
60027 Osimo (AN) - 8, VIA MALAGRAMPA
tel: 071 7133440

Un Punto Macrobiotico
61032 Fano (PU) - 1, VIA FORESTIERI
tel: 0721 804910

Un Punto Macrobiotico
60122 Ancona (AN) - 2, VIA S. MARTINO
tel: 071 200305

Un Punto Macrobiotico
63100 Ascoli Piceno (AP) - 28, VIA BENGASI
tel: 0736 255207

Un Punto Macrobiotico
63017 Porto San Giorgio (AP) - 85, LUNGO MARE GRAMSCI ANTONIO
tel: 0734 672364

Un Punto Macrobiotico
61029 Urbino (PU) - 19, VIA BATTISTI CESARE
tel: 0722 320193

Un Punto Macrobiotico
62010 Montecosaro (MC) - 31/33, VIA DON BOSCO
tel: 0733 866586

Un Punto Macrobiotico
61100 Pesaro (PU) - 36, VIA DIAZ ARMANDO
tel: 0721 64268

Un Punto Macrobiotico
63023 Fermo (AP) - 13, PIAZZALE AZZOLINO
tel: 0734 224254

Un Punto Macrobiotico
63039 San Benedetto Del Tronto (AP) - 64, VIA LOMBARDIA
tel: 0735 780689

Un Punto Macrobiotico
62100 Macerata (MC) - 11, VIA CASSIANO DA FABRIANO
tel: 0733 33977

Un Punto Macrobiotico
61040 Mondavio (PU) - 14, CONTRADA PIANO SAN MICHELE
tel: 0721 979258

Un Punto Macrobiotico
62017 Porto Recanati (MC) - 18, VIA SARPI
tel: 071 9798141

Un Punto Macrobiotico
61100 Pesaro (PU) - 27, VIA DIAZ ARMANDO
tel: 0721 33806

Un Punto Macrobiotico
61043 Cagli (PU) - 104, VIA LAPIS
tel: 0721 781635

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Serena Braca & C.S.N.C
60025 Loreto (AN) - 1, PIAZZA LEOPARDI
tel: 071 977779

Un Punto Macrobiotico Il Sole E La Luna Di Scartoz
63013 Grottammare (AP) - 42, VIA MARCONI GUGLIELMO
tel: 0735 736447

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
62027 San Severino Marche (MC) - 27, VIALE EUROPA
tel: 0733 634549

Ostello Larice Associazione Un Punto Macrobiotico
62010 Urbisaglia (MC) - 2, FRAZIONE CONVENTO
tel: 0733 506898

Ristorante Mensa Un Punto Macrobiotico
61029 Urbino (PU) - 4, VIA POZZO NUOVO
tel: 0722 329790

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Bassi Catia & C Snc
63018 Porto Sant'elpidio (AP) - 235/A, VIA TRIESTE
tel: 0734 903640

Un Punto Macrobiotico
10023 Chieri (TO) - 39/41, STRADA ANDEZENO
tel: 011 9427337

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
16100 Genova (GE) - 3/D/R, VIA DEL COMMERCIO
tel: 010 3201331

Un Punto Macrobiotico Circolo Culturale
16137 Genova (GE) - 144/R, VIA MONTALDO LEONARDO
tel: 010 8393909

Un Punto Macrobiotico
06012 Citta' Di Castello (PG) - 7, VIA ANGELONI MARIO
tel: 075 8553825

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Marco Demontis
50100 Firenze (FI) - 10/R, VIA DEI PILASTRI
tel: 055 2346975

Un Punto Naturale S.N.C.
52100 Arezzo (AR) - 42, VIA MONACO GUIDO
tel: 0575 350530

Circolo Un Punto Macrobiotico
52037 Sansepolcro (AR) - 48, VIA BRUNO GIORDANO
tel: 0575 735544

Un Punto Macrobiotico
04100 Latina (LT) - 194, VIA ISONZO
tel: 0773 610354

Un Punto Macrobiotico
00167 Roma (RM) - 100/102, VIA MORICCA UMBERTO
tel: 06 39751039

Un Punto Macrobiotico
84012 Angri (SA) - 19, VIA RAIOLA R.
tel: 081 947538

Un Punto Macrobiotico Di Alberto Beccacece
84095 Giffoni Valle Piana (SA) - 12, VIA ROMA
tel: 089 865889

Un Punto Macrobiotico
64021 Giulianova (TE) - 46, VIA MIGLIORI LUIGI
tel: 085 8002258

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
89128 Reggio Calabria (RC) - 23, VIA CUZZOCREA EMILIO
tel: 0965 813512

Associazione Un Punto Macrobiotico
96017 Noto (SR) - 14, VIA CAVOUR CAMILLO BENSO
tel: 0931 836494

Circolo Culturale Un Punto Macrobiotico
97015 Modica (RG) - 224, VIA NAZIONALE
tel: 0932 764476