Gluten-free Lake Maggiore: restaurants, gelato and shops

Here are my favorite gluten-free places around Lake Maggiore, on the Italian side, town by town: the ones I tried during my stay, and the ones I have spotted since.

Eating gluten-free in Italy: the basics

Italy is one of the easiest countries for celiacs. The words to remember are senza glutine (gluten-free). Waiters know celiac disease (celiachia), and many menus list allergens. You will find more general advice in my guide to gluten-free Italy.

The Italian Celiac Association (AIC) trains restaurants, pizzerias and gelato shops in gluten-free cooking, and lists them in its AIC Mobile app. Full access is for members, but non-members can pay for a short period, which is handy for a holiday. An AIC venue is generally safer than a restaurant that simply offers gluten-free pasta.

Getting around the lake

The closest airport is Milan Malpensa, less than an hour's drive from Arona and Stresa. Trains from Milan also run along the west shore to Arona, Stresa and Verbania. Once there, the public ferries are the nicest way to hop between towns and islands, but a car makes grocery runs much easier, especially if you plan to stock up at the gluten-free shops below.

Most restaurants close between lunch and dinner, roughly from 2:30 to 7 pm, and some close one day a week. If you spend the day on the islands or hiking, take a gluten-free picnic with you: options there are limited.

Arona

Arona is the first town you reach when arriving from the south end of the lake, about an hour from Milan.

• Paleosette (Via Paleocapa 7): an entirely gluten-free restaurant, with an extra vegan menu and close attention to all allergens. Bread and pasta are homemade.
• ZeroSpiga (Via Vittorio Veneto 90): the gastronomia (deli and takeaway) run by the owners of Paleosette, also 100% gluten-free. Perfect for a picnic by the water.
• Pizzeria Giardino (Corso Marconi 1): a pizzeria trained by the AIC, with fewer gluten-free desserts.
• Pasticceria Marietta: a pastry shop with gluten-free and dairy-free cakes.
• Gelateria Marcella (Corso Repubblica 16): a gelato shop that celiacs report as safe.

Stresa and Baveno

Stresa is the most touristy town on the lake, where boats leave for the Borromean Islands.

• Pizzeria Il Capriccio (Via Bolongaro 6): takeaway pizza, made in a separate kitchen and oven. The gluten-free pizza is margherita only, with a 5 euro surcharge.
• Il Portico (Via Ottolini): gluten-free pasta and staff who take allergies seriously, according to reviews. I have not tried it.
• Gelatomania (Via Mazzini 15): gelato with gluten-free cones.
• Agrigelateria: gelato in a gluten-free cone in Baveno. I could not find this shop again in 2026, but the brand has other gelato shops in Arona and Omegna.

Verbania

Verbania is made of the villages of Intra and Pallanza, on the west shore.

• La gallina che fuma (Via Filippo Turati 1, in Fondotoce): gluten-free pasta with a cold beer. The gluten-free bread, grissini and desserts are homemade.
• Il Regno di Napoli (Corso Mameli 31): a Neapolitan pizzeria with a well-rated gluten-free pizza.
• Ristorante Isolino (Intra): no dedicated menu, but gluten-free bread and pasta on request.

Cannobio and the Swiss shore

Heading north, the lake crosses into Switzerland, at Locarno and Ascona.

• Caffè Verbano (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III 21, Cannobio): gluten-free pizza and pasta on request, with care about cross-contamination according to reviews.
• Osteria Ticino da Ketty & Tommy (Via Muraccio 20, Ascona): a menu with gluten-free pasta and pizza. Note that prices in Switzerland are much higher than in Italy, and you pay in Swiss francs.

Gluten-free grocery shopping

As everywhere in Italy, you will find gluten-free bread, pasta and cookies in every supermarket, even small ones. Italian gluten-free pasta is often better than what we find in France.

• Biocelia L'isola del senza glutine (Corso Garibaldi 19-23, Intra): a 100% gluten-free shop in Verbania. I filled the trunk of my car with all kinds of products, and the manager was lovely and even gave me good gluten-free tips.
• Happy Free: a gluten-free shop on the east shore, towards Varese. I could not find it online in 2026, so check that it is open before making the detour.

If you continue east, read my Dolomites guide.