A Casa Colonica in Settignano

An enormous example of a casa colonica in Settignano, Tuscany. The traditional farmhouses of Tuscany, each one unique, are well suited to their environment. I made this picture in May, probably the greenest month of the year in the region. By August things are much hotter and browner, and the thick stone walls keep out the heat.

The size, on the other hand, comes down to two factors. First, that agrarian and domestic spaces were typically conflated in these old farms: the livestock might share the house with the peasants - although not, of course, the same room. Second, many generations of a family often lived together. It doesn't take too many children and grandchildren to fill even a house as big as this one.

Similar structures can be found in much of the Mediterranean basin; their antecedent go back to medieval times.

The picture was made with watercolour and pencil.