Thanks for the information.

There will be 5 of us (myself, my mother, a recent HS grad and 2 younger children) so the extra cost of eating sit down in restaurants is significant. After spending time walking and touring in the heat of summer I won't make my mother or kids stand just to have a meal. We'll figure something out to save money even if it's not the most ideal.

Go to a park.

<< extra cost of eating sit down in restaurants is significant. >>

I don't understand why the choices are two extremes - take out or restaurants. You seem opposed to buying lunch in bars and sitting inside (cheaper than sitting outside). It's not that expensive, not much more than buying something off a truck.

The cost of gelato will add up tremendously and buying soft drinks will as well. You can save money by filling your water bottles from the many Roman fountains.

I haven't seen anyone suggest that you have sit-down meals in restaurants, and what you've described doesn't constitute "meals," really, anyway. Bars and pizzerias and such can be quite cheap. Just don't take your food out, and if you must, don't take it near a monument or the steps of someplace famous.

And I agree, the price of a soft drink is a killer.