A salad break near the Vatican

Insalata Ricca 6 restaurant near the Vatican in Rome, Italy

Sometimes all that Italian food is just too overwhelming and you just want a salad. A decade or so ago, a Roman restaurant entrepreneur realized just that (and the growing demand for more vegetarian dining options) and started a mini-chain of Roman restaurants dedicated to insalatoni, or giant salads, and lighter, low-fat fare. This branch is located right across from the Vatican walls (there's another convenient one near Piazza Navona).

Their oversized salads are outstanding, as are their health-conscious dishes like gnocchi verdi al gorgonzola (spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce) and pasta integrale (whole wheat pasta in a tomato and basil sauce). Though the bulk of the choices are, indeed, vegetartian by nature, this is not an entirely meat-free restaurant, and there's a little something for everyone. They also do decent pizzas and were among the first restaurants in Rome to go non-smoking (now are Roman restaurants all, but I think these folks deserve a hand for doing so before it was popular and, uh, required by law).

Piazza del Risorgimento 5–6
tel. 06-3973-0387
www.linsalataricca.it
Open daily