Gluten-Free Modena: 7 Verified Addresses

Modena is the city of filled pasta: tortellini in broth, ricotta tortelloni, a soft-wheat dough rolled by hand for centuries. Difficult terrain, then. And yet our database counts 7 verified addresses here, and all 7 are fully dedicated — not one mixed kitchen in the selection. That ratio only happens in Italy, where the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (AIC) issues a hospitality label (“Alimentazione Fuori Casa”) and where the state pays a monthly allowance to diagnosed coeliacs. A market exists, so professionals commit to it entirely. We set out the Italian framework in our guide to gluten-free Italy.

What the city holds

The tortellini, at last

That is the question that brings people here, so let us answer it first. Le stelle di Adua (4.7★), on Via Biagio Pascal, is a pasta workshop, patisserie and delicatessen working exclusively with naturally gluten-free flours — and the distinction matters: not de-glutenised wheat starch, legal under the regulations but poorly tolerated by some coeliacs, but flours that never contained gluten in the first place. Tortellini, tortelloni, ravioli, fresh pasta and bread all come out of the same dedicated laboratory. The place is small and its reputation local: this is a neighbourhood address, not a tourist window.

One dedicated pizzeria, and a namesake to avoid

Luigi Teperino Pizzeria (4.4★, more than 2,000 reviews), on Viale Gramsci, is the textbook case worth knowing before you pick up the phone. The Teperino name runs several pizzerias in Modena: some conventional, this one entirely dedicated to gluten-free, set up in a former takeaway unit converted in 2025. No wheat flour is used there, and the house states it plainly. But the conventional branches sit further along the same avenue and carry the same name. Check the street number before you sit down — the safety is not the same.

Eating Emilian, without wheat

Opened in 2025 on Via Michelangelo Buonarroti, Essenza Glutine (4.6★) is a 100% gluten-free and lactose-free bistro-delicatessen: classic Emilian dishes, aperitivo, cocktails, craft beers, plus a small grocery corner to take products home. Its opening was relayed by the Emilia-Romagna branch of the AIC — a strong signal in a country where the association does not lend its name lightly. For a sit-down dinner, it is the most complete address in town.

Restocking happens on Strada degli Schiocchi at Ci Piace Senza Glutine (4.7★): a large grocer dedicated to gluten-free products and other intolerances, with a café and quick-service area and a delicatessen counter built into the same business. Purchases are reimbursable through the ASL vouchers of the Italian public scheme — useful if you live in Italy, incidental if you are passing through.

Breakfast, fresh bread and gelato

Three addresses share the sweet and the oven. Starbene Senza Glutine (4.4★, more than 450 reviews), on Via Vignolese, is a fully gluten-free bakery, patisserie and café that carries the AIC “Alimentazione Fuori Casa” seal and promises fresh baking every day. On Viale Sigonio, SForno presents itself as Modena’s first 100% gluten-free artisan bakehouse: everything is produced on site and sold still warm — the address is recent and carries few reviews, but the in-house production is clearly stated.

And in the heart of the city, on Via Farini, Dulzy (4.7★, more than 400 reviews) serves frozen yoghurt, crêpes and artisan waffles, all gluten-free and lactose-free. The house has been part of the AIC programme since 2015: here the longevity reassures as much as the label. It is also the only one of our seven addresses you can reach on a stroll from Piazza Grande.

Our tips on the ground

• The phrase to know: «Sono celiaco / celiaca — questo contiene glutine?» In Italy it is almost always enough to trigger the right reflexes in the kitchen.
• Look for the AIC logo: two of our Modena addresses, Dulzy and Starbene, carry the Associazione Italiana Celiachia’s “Alimentazione Fuori Casa” seal, awarded venue by venue.
• The historic centre is thin: only Dulzy lies inside the pedestrian zone. Plan a short journey for the other six, spread across the first ring.
• Beware multi-site brands: at Teperino, one pizzeria is dedicated and the others are not, on the same avenue. The name is not enough; the street number is.

Explore the 7 addresses

Every address cited has been verified at source: existence, gluten-free level, contamination risks. All 7 are on the Nutrixe map — and if your Modena favourite is missing, suggest it. All our verified gluten-free addresses in Modena are gathered on a single page. Before you go, our guide to cross-contamination explains what to ask at the table.