Fett’unta and bruschetta are much the same, each based on good country-style bread, sliced and grilled or toasted. Here we find the essence of rustic Italian eating — something that could only have been conceived in a country with such an abiding love for olive oil and tomatoes.

If you can toast the bread over a wood-burning fire, so much the better. And don’t even think of making this Tuscan specialty with anything other than the ripest, heftiest plum tomatoes. Try to use an olive oil with a green, peppery quality. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.