The tiny Tellin clam is found all around the Italian coastline but those from the stretch between Anzio and Passoscuro where the sea is very clean and the sand is fine have been lauded since Roman times as the sweetest and most delicate of all the bivalves.

Small boats go out at dawn on days when the sea is calm and the 50 or so remaining tellinari fishermen use metal takes to harvest the clams sustainably. Within 6-7 hours Luigi Crescenzi has them jarred in a light brine to throw into a dish of pasta.