I would call myself a semi-vegetarian as I do eat meat and fish sometimes, but often I go for the veggie options when eating out. I am curious to know if non-meat eaters have problems travelling in Italy. Anyone know?
How Do Vegetarians Get On?
- Thread starter Jane Carey
- Start date
I used to be a vegetarian, for almost 3 years I didn't touch meat, but then slowly resumed my meat eating habits 
For some of that period, I lived in Italy. But I found it very hard to remain a convinced vegetarian.
I used to eat soy, instead of meat (I used to make soy escalope often) and I used to boy soy milk, soy burgers, everything soy...
Then, coming to Italy, I saw that being a vegetarian is extremely expensive! You can find soy products to replace meat, but they are so expensive.. and it just wasn't worht it.
Now, if you are a semi-vegetarian, then you're in luck
There are many restaurantas that serve fish, and they cook it well too.
As for the meat, you can either eat meat or you can replace it with stuff like veggie 'cotoletta' or veggie meatballs.
For some of that period, I lived in Italy. But I found it very hard to remain a convinced vegetarian.
I used to eat soy, instead of meat (I used to make soy escalope often) and I used to boy soy milk, soy burgers, everything soy...
Then, coming to Italy, I saw that being a vegetarian is extremely expensive! You can find soy products to replace meat, but they are so expensive.. and it just wasn't worht it.
Now, if you are a semi-vegetarian, then you're in luck
There are many restaurantas that serve fish, and they cook it well too.
As for the meat, you can either eat meat or you can replace it with stuff like veggie 'cotoletta' or veggie meatballs.
If i ever dared to turn around to my Italian family and say i was a vegetarian id be probably be disowned! 
You'll find plenty of meal options though as you are a semi-vegetarian, as Rosie said plenty of restaurants serve top class fish which is a must!
You'll find plenty of meal options though as you are a semi-vegetarian, as Rosie said plenty of restaurants serve top class fish which is a must!
I'm vegetarian. It's not too bad. I've been to Italy before, and you mainly just have to ask once. Many restaurants there cater to vegetarians anyway, and if it doesn't say on the menu, most people are happy to tell you whether what you're ordering is meat free or not.
I'm an ex-vegetarian. Between the age of 13 and somewhere around 20, I ate no meat and also tried to reduce other products such as milk & eggs (the only exception being cheese. That is an indulgence I couldn't give up or substitute). But I was a bad vegetarian. I reserached the wrong things, and I was not very oriented towards cooking. Instead of exploring the worlds vegetable based dishes, I would lean over to substitute the meat with ... meat substitutes. I think it's the vegetarian nicotin patch, or the vegetarian electronic cigarette. You don't want the real thing, but you can't deal without it. Now that I started cooking avidly I understand all the things that I could have been eating!
It is quite possible to be a vegetarian in Italy - as there are endless variations on food which does not have any meat. (If you exclude milk/egg products it will be more difficult though) Depending on which season it is, and where you are, you can find a lot of dishes to suit your taste. Everything from different aubergine dishes (like melanzane alla parmigiana), zucchini dishes, to pasta dishes like pizzocheri. In the market, or a rosticceria, you can find Arancini (fried rice balls, optionally with fillings) If in doubt, you can always browse different traditional recipes by region to see how they are prepared and to familiarize with them before going to Italy. It might make reading through a menu much easier
It is quite possible to be a vegetarian in Italy - as there are endless variations on food which does not have any meat. (If you exclude milk/egg products it will be more difficult though) Depending on which season it is, and where you are, you can find a lot of dishes to suit your taste. Everything from different aubergine dishes (like melanzane alla parmigiana), zucchini dishes, to pasta dishes like pizzocheri. In the market, or a rosticceria, you can find Arancini (fried rice balls, optionally with fillings) If in doubt, you can always browse different traditional recipes by region to see how they are prepared and to familiarize with them before going to Italy. It might make reading through a menu much easier
I am a vegetarian and I lived in Italy easily and very happily. There was always pasta or risotto and an abundance of contorni for me to eat. I tended to have more oil based sauces and because everything was fresh, it was much healthier. Combined with good wine and coffee, I was easily happy with biscuits as a snack and fresh bread.
I agree. There are many vegetarian Italian dishes, which are easily available around the country. I didn't have any problems with my diet in Italy either. I think if you're vegan, it may be slightly more difficult to get on. There are dairy products involved in most Italian dishes.
I'm not a vegetarian, but I feel like it's absolutely possible to eat a vegetarian diet in Italy. I think it would be harder for a vegan than a vegetarian (cheese for instance!) but there's loads of great vegetarian dishes out there. A simple margherita pizza with cheese, basil and tomato is perfection. There's lots of salads, soup, and actually come to think of it one of my favorite dishes in Italy were baked tomatoes stuffed with rice which were so flavorful but perfect for a vegetarian diet!
In the south there are a lot of aubergine dishes which are vegan and I always found spinach in abundance, so I would create a dish from a side of greens, which was usually spinach and broccoli and potato au gratin. Because things are freshly made it is easier to ask for things without, unlike many chain places that have prepared to food already.
I think more people are aware of vegetarians and make at least one meal meat free on the menu. There are very few places where I have a problem and there is always chocolate cake and ice cream which I can eat!
I think more people are aware of vegetarians and make at least one meal meat free on the menu. There are very few places where I have a problem and there is always chocolate cake and ice cream which I can eat!
That's true - there are plenty of veggie based dishes to eat when you're vegetarian. Many things are freshly made in the smaller eateries, so it is very straightforward to ask for things to be prepared slightly differently. There are also tonnes of desserts to eat - even in the unlikely case of there being no vegetarian main meals!