Let's eat!!

Franco's plan was to eat near the Vatican so we got in the car.  I took random photos through the window as we drove.

 Victor Emmanuel II Monument, known to the locals as "the Typewriter" because of it's shape.

There's a rooftop viewing platform reached by an elevator and it's something we'll have to visit next time.

As we were close and wouldn't have time to visit after the Vatican , Franco drove us back into the narrow streets so that we could see the Trevi Fountain. I knew it was closed for renovations but he took us anyway.

As you can see the fountain was dry but there was a long line of people wanting to walk the catwalk over it. The area was very crowded and so we didn't stay long. Each minute we spent here was one less minute for lunch and we needed to eat. Back to the car for a drive north to the Vatican on wide streets.

Franco pulled up outside a restaurant called Osteria Dei Pontifici (see my review on Trip Advisor). It sat on a wide, tree-lined street, in a non-tourist area. It had tables outside which is what we hoped for.
While we found a table Franco went in and spoke to the waiters.

Service was prompt, friendly and efficient.

The view from our table

Bruschetta to start

Prosciutto with melon

For me, oven roasted veal with roast potatoes. I already had eaten a bowl of spaghetti al pomodoro (tomato sauce) before this arrived but it didn't get photographed.

Carol's veal marsala

We only had 75 minutes or so to eat lunch and by the end of our time we were so full that we decided to skip dessert as we had a lot of walking ahead in the Vatican and it was time to leave this excellent restaurant. Franco was waiting for us and within 5 minutes we were stopping at the Vatican Museum where our guide was waiting to take us on a two hour tour....