My dinner with da Vinci, Jefferson and Nixon

Here’s the game: Pick any three famous people, dead or alive, or a deceased family member you would like to break bread with and set up the scenario. My choices are Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Richard Nixon.

Our journey begins at Reagan International Airport in D.C. Nixon, already sour that he doesn’t have an airport named after him, still has access to Air Force One while Jefferson is enjoying a semester break from the University of Virginia, which he founded.

We fly to Italy, where we will meet the great da Vinci for dinner at La Veranda restaurant at the Renaissance Tuscany II Resort & Spa in Barga — a short helicopter ride from davinci’s home in Florence.

Da Vinci, no slave to fashion, could use a makeover before our meeting. Plus Nixon, always paranoid, might mistake him for an anti-war protestor.

Nixon, ever a stickler to details, can’t decide if we should sit at a circular table or a rectangular table.

Since Jefferson had been minister to France as well as secretary of state in his illustrious career, we let him use his diplomatic skills to choose the shape of our dinner table. Jefferson, also an architect, goes with an octagon, a form that intrigued him. Nixon is upset; da Vinci, bored.

Jefferson, the true alphamale in the group, orders first. French fries as an appetizer, mac and cheese sprinkled with Parmesan as his entree — all foods that he brought to America from his travels abroad.

Nixon has cottage cheese with ketchup, drawing odd looks from all of us.

Da Vinci, a vegetarian, has tapas plates of olives, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

I keep it simple: Cavatappi Bolognese. The server was pleased that someone finally ordered a local dish.

The conversation is awkward. Jefferson and da Vinci are playing an annoying game of one-upsmanship. Architect, artist, statesman, sculptor, founding father, inventor. This could go on all night. All the while da Vinci scribbles on his napkin. I’ll be sure to grab that when we leave.

Nixon and I talk politics. I find him to be the most fascinating political figure of the 20th century. But as a great poker player, he keeps his cards close to the vest. We end up talking sports. I rub it in that his beloved Redskins missed the NFL playoffs.

The check comes and we leave it up to da Vinci to figure out the tip since he designed the first calculator 500 years ago. John Sapochetti is cohost of Herald Drive heard weekday mornings from 6-9 on Boston Herald Radio. Follow him on twitter @johnsap25.