Ever Wonder How It All Came Together ?
Though we like to pretend otherwise, Villasfor2 didn't just 'happen'.
Our initial idea of providing villa holidays for couples needed a lot of help from a lot of people before it became a reality, so the least we can do now is give these key people the recognition - and thanks - they deserve.
And tell you about other sites that we like and think you might too !
To start with - our website. For most of you, it's the first point of contact with Villasfor2 - and you know what's said about the importance of first impressions...
Samantha Dunham heads-up the London-based www.webseolive.com consultancy. That our website exists, is user-friendly, nice to look at and works is thanks to Sammy.
If Webseolive.com helped us get online, down on the ground, after looking at 96 properties, we finally found the acre of Abruzzo that was to become Villasfor2 through www.abruzzoproject.com run by Gianmarco Poli.
Gianmarco designed our house and your villas; managed the entire building project and helped turn the idea of villa holidays for couples into reality.
The task of transforming Gianmarco's plans into - literally - bricks and mortar was was carried out by the father-and-son team of Nunzio and Marco Pietropaolo and their locally-based construction company Edilpaolo.
There's an English-language version of their website www.edilpaolo.com - and quite a few pictures of our construction project too !
Our salt-water swimming pool was installed by www.centrotropicalepiscine.it - and the sunbeds you'll lie on around the poolside terrace and the umbrellas you'll be shaded by were supplied by Alex at www.ombrellificioadriamare.it.
Though we like to pretend otherwise, Villasfor2 didn't just 'happen'.
Our initial idea of providing villa holidays for couples needed a lot of help from a lot of people before it became a reality, so the least we can do now is give these key people the recognition - and thanks - they deserve.
And tell you about other sites that we like and think you might too !
To start with - our website. For most of you, it's the first point of contact with Villasfor2 - and you know what's said about the importance of first impressions...
Samantha Dunham heads-up the London-based www.webseolive.com consultancy. That our website exists, is user-friendly, nice to look at and works is thanks to Sammy.
If Webseolive.com helped us get online, down on the ground, after looking at 96 properties, we finally found the acre of Abruzzo that was to become Villasfor2 through www.abruzzoproject.com run by Gianmarco Poli.
Gianmarco designed our house and your villas; managed the entire building project and helped turn the idea of villa holidays for couples into reality.
The task of transforming Gianmarco's plans into - literally - bricks and mortar was was carried out by the father-and-son team of Nunzio and Marco Pietropaolo and their locally-based construction company Edilpaolo.
There's an English-language version of their website www.edilpaolo.com - and quite a few pictures of our construction project too !
Our salt-water swimming pool was installed by www.centrotropicalepiscine.it - and the sunbeds you'll lie on around the poolside terrace and the umbrellas you'll be shaded by were supplied by Alex at www.ombrellificioadriamare.it.
(They're exactly the same sunbeds and umbrellas you'll find on all the best beaches and lidos on our stretch of Adriatic coast).
The plants in the garden are proving the finishing touch to Villasfor2. Our local nursery www.vivaidelaurentiis.com (special thanks to Moreno and Carla) supplied all our trees and many shrubs.
We sourced plants from a many other nurseries. Those used in the 'prairie' bed at the very top of the gardens came from www.vivaiodeglinnocenti.com just outside Florence.
Our roses came from two major sources. The ground-cover roses in front of the villas - and more ! - were supplied mainly by Peter Beales' incomparable www.classicroses.co.uk in England.
For species roses and climbers, we turned to www.petrovicroses.rs in Serbia. Yes, there's an English-language version of this website.
The English fruit trees in our orchard - apples, damsons, greengages, redcurrants (and rhubarb !) - arrived in perfect condition from the superb www.deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk on the Isle of Wight.
Rather nearer home, we bought white and yellow Italian peaches and Italian apricots at www.apicepiante.it just a few miles north of us near Miglianico.
The owners of some of the top websites in Italy have been kind enough to provide links to Villasfor2 and we're happy to return the favour:
Abruzzo is a big region. If you want to see more of it before or after your stay at our own Abruzzo rental villas, check out abruzzovillas.com for other good places to stay in each of Abruzzo's four provinces.
Abruzzo's certainly not short of websites devoted to promoting its own unique character. But two stand out. For an eclectic and much wider-scale view of the region, check out www.lifeinabruzzo.com, which has a green heart and a social conscience.
So too does www.myabruzzohome.com, the site of our friends Rebecca Coombes and Andrew Waddington. The site's partly a record of - clue's in the title ! - their Abruzzo home near Manopello they're currently restoring.
And in addition to working on his restoration project, Andrew somehow also still has time to produce wonderful woodcuts and lithographs, many depicting Abruzzo wildlife and countryside. Look at www.andrewwaddington.co.uk for more.
Casting the net wider in the shape of an all-embracing take on the many shades of Italian life and culture, Alex Roe's terrific www.blogfromitaly.com provides a rich source of info, anecdote, opinion and entertainment. It's like having a good English-language newspaper exclusively about Italy.
For a one-stop shop covering every aspect of worldwide travel, tourism and leisure, www.mystartguide.com is an easy-to-navigate gateway to hundreds and hundreds of sites - and all highly accessible.
If all this makes you want to book your villa holiday for couples at Villasfor2, then click here for details - and you can book too via our entry on the worldwide HomeAway Holiday-Rentals website.
There you'll find separate entries for our Villas Acquaviva, Pesco Falcone and La Majelletta - and you can also read reviews from previous guests.
And we're proud that Villasfor2 is listed too by the global daddy of all travel websites Trip Advisor. Again you'll find reviews here from guests who've stayed at our Abruzzo rental villas.
The plants in the garden are proving the finishing touch to Villasfor2. Our local nursery www.vivaidelaurentiis.com (special thanks to Moreno and Carla) supplied all our trees and many shrubs.
We sourced plants from a many other nurseries. Those used in the 'prairie' bed at the very top of the gardens came from www.vivaiodeglinnocenti.com just outside Florence.
Our roses came from two major sources. The ground-cover roses in front of the villas - and more ! - were supplied mainly by Peter Beales' incomparable www.classicroses.co.uk in England.
For species roses and climbers, we turned to www.petrovicroses.rs in Serbia. Yes, there's an English-language version of this website.
The English fruit trees in our orchard - apples, damsons, greengages, redcurrants (and rhubarb !) - arrived in perfect condition from the superb www.deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk on the Isle of Wight.
Rather nearer home, we bought white and yellow Italian peaches and Italian apricots at www.apicepiante.it just a few miles north of us near Miglianico.
The owners of some of the top websites in Italy have been kind enough to provide links to Villasfor2 and we're happy to return the favour:
Abruzzo is a big region. If you want to see more of it before or after your stay at our own Abruzzo rental villas, check out abruzzovillas.com for other good places to stay in each of Abruzzo's four provinces.
Abruzzo's certainly not short of websites devoted to promoting its own unique character. But two stand out. For an eclectic and much wider-scale view of the region, check out www.lifeinabruzzo.com, which has a green heart and a social conscience.
So too does www.myabruzzohome.com, the site of our friends Rebecca Coombes and Andrew Waddington. The site's partly a record of - clue's in the title ! - their Abruzzo home near Manopello they're currently restoring.
And in addition to working on his restoration project, Andrew somehow also still has time to produce wonderful woodcuts and lithographs, many depicting Abruzzo wildlife and countryside. Look at www.andrewwaddington.co.uk for more.
Casting the net wider in the shape of an all-embracing take on the many shades of Italian life and culture, Alex Roe's terrific www.blogfromitaly.com provides a rich source of info, anecdote, opinion and entertainment. It's like having a good English-language newspaper exclusively about Italy.
For a one-stop shop covering every aspect of worldwide travel, tourism and leisure, www.mystartguide.com is an easy-to-navigate gateway to hundreds and hundreds of sites - and all highly accessible.
If all this makes you want to book your villa holiday for couples at Villasfor2, then click here for details - and you can book too via our entry on the worldwide HomeAway Holiday-Rentals website.
There you'll find separate entries for our Villas Acquaviva, Pesco Falcone and La Majelletta - and you can also read reviews from previous guests.
And we're proud that Villasfor2 is listed too by the global daddy of all travel websites Trip Advisor. Again you'll find reviews here from guests who've stayed at our Abruzzo rental villas.
