It’s hard to believe now, but Abruzzo was the scene of some particularly savage fighting during the Italian Campaign of 1943/4. The area from the Sangro River up to Ortona formed the eastern edge of the formidable Gustav Line defences, hinging on the mighty Monte Cassino and while the advance northwards on the eastern side of Italy was largely the responsibility of the US Army, on the west, up through what’s now Puglia, Molise and Abruzzo, it was a campaign spearheaded by the British Eighth Army.

Looking back, I wonder why we got as wound-up as we did about how the cats would react to the 1400-mile trek in the back of the car from Somerset to our new home in the hamlet of Ascigno in Abruzzo…

Thanks to the fragile nature of the British property market, the last few months have been tale of ‘Great ! There’s a buyer for our house; oh dear, that’s fallen through; Yippee ! There’s another buyer for the house; oh no, that’s fallen through too’ ad naus until, strangely, you pass through stress to a state of Zen-like acceptance of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

We’ll supply the setting and the warm summer’s night. You supply the romance !

Inside your villa, room to lie back and relax after a hard day down by the pool

Your own personal space outside Vllla La Majelletta for a bite to eat – or a nightcap

Dusk falls and the lights go on inside Villa Pesco Falcone. Go on – take a peek !

Cypress trees; olive groves; rolling hills; and blue skies. The view from each villa

A lasting record of your Villasfor2 honeymoon – book your own exclusive photo-shoot

Informal and relaxed, your photo-set will be a wonderful reminder of your time here