Accidentally, with purpose

It’s not easy to see past that gap to Olive Street and Wooster Square and the adjacent streets that make up one of the most compact and oldest Italian districts in the country. It’s a fraction of the size of Boston’s North End, where the cross-hatched warren of streets leaves tourists roaming at right angles, and its commercial heart is one street - Wooster - that can be traversed in less than 10 minutes.

Still, New Haven’s small-scale version holds its own against larger counterparts. It has the classic essentials: the brick apartment houses, the Saturday farmer’s market, the statue of Christopher Columbus, the old-country-style churches, the 19th-century Societa Santa Maria Maddalena, the festivals (cherry blossom in April, St. Anthony’s and St. Andrew’s in June), and an array of eating places.

Even better, there is two-hour free parking on Wooster Street, long enough to dine at any of more than half a dozen restaurants. There’s Consiglio’s, Abate’s, Anastasio’s, Tony & Lucille’s, and Tre Scalini, not to mention Libby’s pastry shop. Each has its loyal following, but the main reason most visitors drop by is for the pizza, known locally as apizza and pronounced “ahbeetz.’’

The two landmarks are Pepe’s (The Original Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana) and Sally’s, and their crispy products have been the fodder for culinary debate for 70 years. Much as Philadelphians argue about whether Pat’s or Geno’s turns out the superior cheese steak, the question in New Haven is Pepe’s or Sally’s. They’re close enough that you can sample them back-to-back, but that’s risking gastric turbulence.