Admittedly not a pure tomato soup, but Gino D'Acampo's tomato, onion and pancetta soup is as good as soup gets. I could give the recipe but I'm in a bit of a hurry right now. Then, for a different take, there's pappa al pomodoro, a lovely thick Tuscan tomato soup made with stale bread.

Just one thing: if you use good quality canned Italian plum tomatoes, your soup will be as good or better than soup made with fresh. "Good quality" is paramount. Here in the UK I've used Cirio, Napolina and Waitrose own-brand to good advantage. No canned tomatoes should contain salt or herbs or garlic. If you want any of that, use plain canned tomatoes and add the other stuff yourself. A half-teaspoon of sugar added to ANY tomato sauce or soup is a touch of magic. All right, don't believe me...