Italy - Christmas Eve / Christmas Dinner in Venice

What are my options? I've never been there that time of year, so I don't know how shut down things may be.

To compound the difficulty, I'm celiac, so no pasta options.

well, you went to the wrong place to practice celiactisity. venice does not serve pasta. venice does not serve bread. venice does serve rice if that is a problem.

venice tends to be very shut down for christmas, but full of tourists.(???) book early. i would call your hotel, and ask them to find a restaurant to reserve. if you avoid the pizza parlors, you can go to the fish places. also, i would not stay in one of the low lying areas, as acqua alta is a very great possibility, and i do not know how well the workmen get out on holiday and put the boards.up.

this is a great acqua alta map. move the bar.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/08/venice/venice-animation

we will be in venice jan 10-17. we are staying at arsenal

I remember eating pasta last time I was there, before I knew I was celiac. Rice isn't a problem, fortunately. Fish is good. I also have an Italian translation of what celiacs can/can't eat.

Thanks for the idea about calling my hotel. I'm staying at the Boscolo Bellini, which is a small hotel, but it's pretty close to a lot of places to go. I've stayed there before.

The map link is awesome, thanks again!

I remember eating pasta last time I was there, before I knew I was celiac. Rice isn't a problem, fortunately. Fish is good. I also have an Italian translation of what celiacs can/can't eat.

Thanks for the idea about calling my hotel. I'm staying at the Boscolo Bellini, which is a small hotel, but it's pretty close to a lot of places to go. I've stayed there before.

The map link is awesome, thanks again!

i forgot about clam dishes(bowls?) they are frequently served with a spagetti like pasta substance.

You'll find a variety of food, don't worry about that..

Christmas Eve dinner at restaurant is quite popular in Italy, there will be many restaurants open, but you definitely have to book in advance because all the tourists and many locals will be out for dinner...

Actually, none of this turned out to be a problem. I'd brought food anyway just in case, but I had no trouble finding food I could eat on Christmas Eve (though Christmas needed more exploration). Even gluten-free pasta is pretty available, and there is a gluten-free food shop in the Cannaregio (which I will post directions to as soon as I download all the camera pictures).