The area is not short on good Italian delicatessens.

Litteri's is probably Washington's oldest Italian grocery, a dark and mysterious emporium found in the middle of the wholesale food market at 57 Morse St NE, 202 544 0183, with a good, reasonably priced stock of olive oils, among other treasures. You can find San Marzano, the finest canned tomatoes, more cheaply here than at Whole Foods. But check the sell-by dates on their olive oils. They've been known to be offered past their best.

Cornucopia, 8102 Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, 301 652 1625, is one of best with a wide range of both fresh goods, from salamis to cheese and olives and dried and canned. The quality is high and there's a broad spread of tempting cakes and cookies to take away or eat in with a good coffee.

Vace, 3315 Connecticut Ave NW, 202 363 1999 and 7010 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, 301 654 6367, makes its own mozzarella, pasta, pizza dough and sausages and has a freezer full of home-made dishes as well as shelves of dried goods. Its Sopressatta - both Mild and Hot - is good. But its Coppa has sometimes spent too long on display. The giant green olives give other large selections a run for their money.

The Italian Gourmet, 505 W Maple Ave, Vienna, 703 938 4141, is a good Italian deli with home-made pasta dishes in its freezer, as well as a range of olive oils with character. They sell good salamis, a lovely Parma cotta (cooked ham), capicola and good sausages.

Mamma Lucia's, 2409 University Blvd West, Wheaton, 301 949 2112. Eleanora Lazzaro ('Mamma Lucia') in black dress, apron and a rosary, runs a restaurant that could come right out of Italy, serving homemade pasta dinners, soup, pizza and calzone. But you can also buy canned goods and frozen home-made meals to take home.

Other good delis are Italia, 8662 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, 301 588 6999; Marchone's, 11224 Triangle Lane, Wheaton, 301 949 4150; and Santucci's, 10107 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, 301 593 8338

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