Ordering vegan in Venice, Milan and Verona: notes from one week

I spent a week in Italy recently expecting vegan eating to be a daily negotiation. To my pleasant surprise, it was one of the most straightforward places I've eaten plant-based anywhere. Since I'm allergic to even a trace of dairy, I don't say that loosely. If a place got it wrong, I'd know within the hour.

The tools did most of the work

Before the trip I built a shortlist using HappyCow cross-referenced with Google Maps, and every single place on it turned out to be accurate. The vegan options were real, correctly labelled, and actually vegan. The combination of those two tools was enough to eat well in every city without guesswork.

What I actually ate

This is the part that surprises people: I didn't spend the week on salads and grilled vegetables. I had pizza, a burger, panini, and, surprisingly plenty of amazing vegan gelato. At no point did I feel like being vegan was limiting the trip. If anything, the ceiling on what you can order in Italy is much higher than the reputation suggests, once you know where to look.

The one night I walked in blind

Only once did I end up somewhere without having checked ahead — a dinner in Milan where I just walked in and explained my situation: fully plant-based, serious dairy allergy. The kitchen was completely unfazed and simply cooked me a vegan dish (something with mushrooms and rice). That was the lesson of the whole trip in one moment. You don't need a vegan restaurant. You need to ask plainly, and more often than not, people will sort you out.

The only real caveat

Don't expect the fast-food chains to save you. The McDonald's and KFCs are not where Italy's plant-based strength lives, and if you're relying on them you'll come away with the wrong impression of the country entirely. Skip them, use HappyCow and Google Maps, and eat where the actual food is.

Bottom line, Italy is one of the most vegan-friendly places I've been. You just have to know where to look, and be willing to ask.