Friuli Basil Soup with Vegetables, Beans, and Barley

For a long time I used to think that nothing could compare with a Tuscan soup, but after accompanying my husband on visits to the wineries of Friuli, the northeasternmost Italian region, I found that there Tuscany had met its match.

The recipe for this soup came from Patrizia Felluga, of the winery at Russiz Superiore. Think of it as a broad anthology of flavors and textures. There are vegetables of both the green and the root kind, two kinds of beans, and the favorite Friuli grain—