apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you took photos, which I certainly hope you did. You can always bring the images to a paint shop and use their color matching system to customize a paint to your liking. Unfortunately, most regular paints will be too flat as the colors you are seeing in Italy likely have more depth and the pigment is textured into the plaster finishes.

Several years ago I was also in Italy and have online photos of my research. You are more than welcome to use any of my photos if you do not have your own. Follow the link in my name.

Expect to fiddle around with colors a bit, even if you start from photos. Unless you're fortunate enough to live in a place where the ambient light has exactly the same quality as it does in Tuscany, the "same color" will look different once it's applied to a surface.

I once did design work for a house that the client wanted the same color for their Tuscan style home. We ended up having an artist special finish the entire outside of the 8000 sq ft home. There's actually more colors than you think. It's not really one color, but the range can go from very pale, almost cream to deeper terra cotta. Pretty much how glaze an interior wall - the outside had the same technique using several different colors blended.

The sun has alot to do with it, you're right. That's why you see these colors more typically in the southwest and the California area. The quality of sunlight is very similar to mid/south Italy. These colors would look very different in the northeast.

you've inspired me to write another travelogue column, though it might not get posted until the new year. have pix here of Turin, Florence, Venice, Rome, &c. Yes, the light is unbelievable there; any pictures you have should be used as inspiration, and translated into your American light and architecture.

for complex colors, i highly recommend Fine Paints of Europe, available in New York at janovic. you'll pay top dollar, but well worth it.

Yolo Colorhouse, a line of eco paints, are all based around the colors of nature and they have very pretty earthy tones in the "clay" range: http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/colors.php

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did take photos while I was there, one of the hotel rooms was painted the elusive "perfect red". I was hoping to make it to a store in Italy where I could take some paint swatches but ran out of time. I agree it's the depth of color and the light there that makes it look so great.