The colour of earth

The first coat of calce (lime-wash paint) is diluted to the consistency of milk.  As I slosh it on to the walls it streams down my arms and splashes on my feet.  It barely covers the newly finished plaster in a thin pale wash.  This is the ‘primo mano’ or undercoat in pure chalk white.  
The idea of calce is that it breathes. 

I love that idea, a house with a soul and walls that breathe.

After the primo mano you can choose a colour, if you wish, to add to the chalk base.  You are given a tin of pigment, which you mix in, and the broken colour is achieved in 3 coats each diluted to a lesser degree with water.  The end result is a colour that appears to move in and out of its own intensity, changing with the light and the undulations of the walls.  Well, that’s the aim anyway.

Since I first visited Italy, years ago,  I have been infatuated with its colours; the warm rosy apricots and rich terracottas of the peeling stucco in the piazzas.  Faded frescos with the soft tinctures of the Renaissance, ghosts of vivid lapis blues and true clear reds. 

In the countryside, the ever-changing grey green olives and inky dark cypresses stand against the ripened gold of wheat. And the land itself, its ploughed and fallow fields with great clods of soil like raw siena, the fertile colour of earth.

In the cavernous warehouse where we have come to buy the paint I feel suddenly nervous, almost overwhelmed by colour, but I know I haven’t come this far to paint yet another stark white wall, so I hold my breath and choose…

The best thing I ate;

Bruschette con pomodorini e ricotta or (less romantically) tomatoes on toast!

I have been making these a lot recently. They are great for lunch but even better as the sun sinks behind the hills, served with a gently fizzing glass of chilled prosecco. I think it is the intense tomato taste of summer, the piquant edge of the peperoncino,  or maybe the mellow sweetness of the balsamic contrasting with the crumbling cool ricotta that really gets me.  Enough already!  Just try it.

Serves 4

cherry tomatoes (about 30)
Balsamic vinegar (1 and a half tablespoons)
Extra virgin olive oil
A peperoncino  chopped really finely
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Country bread sliced about 1cm thick
Garlic
Fresh ricotta cheese (try and get the good stuff made of sheep’s milk from the deli counter)
Fresh basil

 Leave the tomatoes whole and put them in an ovenproof dish and spread them out in a single layer. Season them with a little salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil and half a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.  Roast them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes or until the skins have burst and the juices started to caramelise.  Take them out of the oven and add the peperoncino, then add another tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and stir gently to mingle the flavours.

Meanwhile, slice your bread and toast it on a hot griddle until it is crisp on both sides.  Rub each slice a couple of times with a cut glove of garlic.  Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. 

To assemble your bruschette, spoon the tomatoes on to the toasted bread and top with a little ricotta.  Serve on a large white platter with some torn basil strewn around. 

Comments

[nyc/carribean ragazza]

Great post. The color of the buildings was the first thing I noticed as the cab drove into the Center from the airport.

I had a hard time returning to L.A.

[Susan]

The Bruschette looks delicious. I am always looking for new ways to use tomatoes from our garden. I'll make something similar with mozzarella, now I want to try it with ricotta!

[Amanda @ A Tuscan view...]

Ciao tutti

I wish you could all come over for bruschette and give me a hand with these colours. The reality is more difficult than the post. I guess it's a case of don't blog until the fat lady sings, and I ain't talkin bout you Shemekia!

Thanks for stopping by Margi and Marja, we love all the comments so please keep them coming.

[Margi]

I was first taken to Italy when I was about seven and one of my most vivid memories from that trip was coming out of a gelateria and seeing the same colours... apricot, strawberry, butterscotch... on the buildings. That gives you a very good opinion of a place when you're seven :-)

[Brit' Gal Sarah]

I have had a similar infatuation with the colours of bella Italia, they are stunning in all lights. Can't wait to see your final choice Amanda - caio

[somepinkflowers]

yummy

yummy

yummy...
all your photos of color.

:-)

oh,
the tomatoes on toast
looked good, too....

[marja]

Just discovered your blog. I love Tuscany, Its in my top ten to go. I love colours and yum that dish sounds delicious. Havew a great day

[Ice Tea For Me]

Amanda, it sounds like you could have a handful of people over for bruschette & prosecco in a heartbeat if we could all just get there! Looks delish.

The rich colors of the Italian landscape are amazing.

When I redid my house I did not leave one wall without color. Only the base boards and doors are an off white and it looks great. I'll be posting about my home makeover in August.

[stephanie]

The color you show here on the walls is the color I was aiming for on my home. Of course without the calce, the layers of chalky white then color we don't have that beautiful undulation....but it's as close to this feeling as I could get!

The bruchette looks amazing! and thanks for the recipe tips about broiling the tomatoes first, I've never done that....

x..x

[anne]

Beautiful post...What colour did you choose?? Do tell!!

I love Bruschette...just right for a summers lunch..:-)

[erin :: the olive notes]

I just LOVE LOVE this post. It's so beautifully written and somehow dreamy or nostalgic. You're right about the colors there...they are magical or something. I just took a break from painting our living room, and it's not as romantic sounding as your experience ;)

[My Mélange]

I feel everything that you described about Italy, the layers, the colors. I would love to be able to recreate that for myself. I fear I would walk around that warehouse, so overwhelmed, that I would leave time and time again with nothing and my walls would remain stark white. I have a hard time making decisions like that :)

I sure hope we get to see the finished result.

Your tomatoes on toast looks amazing. I'll give it a try!!!

[michelle of bleeding espresso]

Can I live in this post? Jump inside and play in the fields, rub my hands on those textured walls and then snack on the bruschetta while sipping chilled prosecco?

Because you know I would if I could.

[Amanda @ A Tuscan view...]

Hi Sally

No colour restrictions here because we are not painting the outside of the house (although I can see why you might have thought we were:)!
I just really like the photographs of these beautiful buildings in Cortona.

We are painting inside.

Roam to Rome - The camera is a Cannon 400d, thanks for the complimenti!

Leanne - Nothing better than a cliff hanger eh! Ha ha!

[Sally]

The undulations on those old plastered walls work really well with the earthy colours, don't they? Great idea to link that with undulating fields.

Were you restricted with the colour choice by local regulations?

[Roam2Rome]

I'm wondering what kind of camera you have... those are amazing pictures! Of course, the scenery before you helps, too :)

Bruschette are my favorite! Something about the Balsamic vinegar and tomato combo...yum.

[Leanne]

Which colour did you chose? Ohhh...you're leaving us hanging on here!