I have to admit that Monday was pretty exciting. We've been working on launching the full Villasfor2 website for the past couple of months and Monday was the day that it all came good.

Actually, you've probably noticed this already. Up until Monday, if you'd logged-onto www.villasfor2.com, you'd have been taken to the 'About Abruzzo' blog.

Now you go straight to the site's Home Page. 

And hand-in-hand with the arrival of the website comes the arrival of Villasfor2 Abruzzo holidays. Having put the final touches to the website and got that up and running, we're now doing the same with our building site. 

We're accepting bookings at our Abruzzo rental villas starting from Saturday 2 May. Or rather we were accepting bookings from May 2, but the first week's rentals got snapped-up in a blink.

That could of course just be down to the appeal of Abruzzo holidays. But it might also be because we're offering heavily discounted rates to mark our opening…

We're aware that we're very much the new kids on the block as regards the holiday villa market in general and Abruzzo rental villas in particular, so we know we need to go that extra mile to get noticed, to get booked and to get recommended to your friends and family.  

Check the site to find out more.

You can see exactly where in Abruzzo we are; how to get here; beaches to lie on; mountains to ski down; and where to eat and drink some of the best food and wine ever.

The site'll tell you about our Top-30 recommendations of Abruzzo's best restaurants and bars – all within easy reach of Villasfor2.

And a whole lot more. Take a browse through the Villasfor2 site. Clicking on the pictures above will give you a better idea of what to expect.

And if you like what you see online – come and see what Abruzzo's like for real…

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Langhe Nebbiolo. DGL Terre. 2006
Nebbiolo is the grape variety behind Barolo – perhaps the king of Italian wines. To enjoy a fine, old Barolo is one of wine's cosmic experiences both in taste – and price. But you're not going to find anything – and I mean anything – even halfway decent for much under €20, so the knotty little problem this week is how can we appreciate the Barolo experience – yet stick to our budget of under €10 a bottle ?

Answer: We buy a bottle of Nebbiolo made in the Langhe region of Piedmont in the north of Italy. That's where Barolo comes from. And with this particular example, you'll be getting an accurate reflection of Barolo's greatness – but without having to pay a sky-high Barolo price..

If you like it – and I'm pretty sure you will – it'll perhaps encourage you to splash out for the real thing on some future special occasion. If you don't, you'll be less than €6 out of pocket. Not a bad price for a lesson learned ? 

In the glass, this is quite a light garnet colour which belies the depth and richness of what you're about to taste. Take a sniff. A big waft of dark autumn fruit – mulberries and stewed damsons – with a little hint of leather too.

Take a sip. If you've tried a good Barolo before, you'll understand what I mean when I say this is the same taste experience – but just toned down a little. If a bottle of Barolo is a joy still to come for you, treat this wine as a trailer for the….not necessarily better…but so much more full-on pleasures that await you. 

This wine is as clean and fresh as an autumn morning; tannic – but not bitter; those pure mulberry and damson tones now overlaid with dark chocolate. Like a good Barolo, this is a strong wine – 13.5%; unlike a good Barolo, which'll happily sit improving for 20-odd years, this lighter-style alternative is made to drink youngish – two to five years tops in the bottle will see you enjoying this at its absolute peak.

And what to eat alongside it ? This is a rich wine for rich meat dishes, so we teamed it up with scrippelle – traditional Abruzzo pancakes made with flour, water, egg and a little olive oil – stuffed with a long-simmered ragu and fresh, locally-made mozzarella, sprinkled with a little parmesan and then given about 25 minutes in the oven at 180º. Yes thanks, it was absolutely delicious. And this bottle of Nebbiolo was the perfect partner. 

At A Glance…

• This week's featured wine: Langhe Nebbiolo
• Vintage: 2006
• Producer: DGL Terre
• Designation: DOC
• Grape: 100% Nebbiolo
• Strength: 13.5%
• Closure: Cork
• This bottle cost: €5.29

Click on the pictures in the text for larger images – and if you like Italian wine, why not check last week's 'Everyday Italian Wine' – a Prosecco made by Italian drinks colossus Cinzano – and bookmark this site for future weekly posts.

Next Week: Pinot Grigio – perhaps more than any other, Italy's best-loved white wine. We're going to be tasting a bottle from the Friuli region in Italy's north-east for you to try at home – or on your Villasfor2 Abruzzo villa vacation.

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In 'Blog of Blogs 1', we told you about the why's and how's of our move to Abruzzo. So we're here. Where's 'here' ? On the fringes of the Majella National Park outside the tiny hamlet of Ascigno, just to the north of Casoli – which is pretty much in the middle of the map on the left and marked with a blue circle. Click on the map for a better view.

We've found an Abruzzo property where we'd like to live and run our 'Villasfor2' holidays for couples business – but we haven't actually bought it yet. Now what ? These blogs will explain. Click on their titles to read them.

• About Villasfor2. Where in Abruzzo we actually are – and the kind of holiday we plan to offer you.
• Three Good Reasons For An Abruzzo Holiday in November. Yes, a slightly bizarre title for a blog that ran in January. But read it. It does make sense.
• Buying Property In Abruzzo. This struck a huge chord. Seems there are an awful lot of us looking for that ideal and elusive Abruzzo property.
• Abruzzo Food Special – Sunday Lunch At 'La Quercia'. Stuff yourself at our best local agriturismo…
• Ski At Passo di Lanciano and La Majelletta. …and then burn off those excess calories on the local slopes. Or just drop in for coffee, cake and the scenery. C'mon, you're on holiday…
• One Less Property For Sale In Abruzzo ! The blog we'd been busting to write. We finally complete the purchase of Villasfor2 HQ !
• A Typical Abruzzo Market – Sunday At Casalbordino. Time for a little retail therapy -  Abruzzo-style !
• Abruzzo Sightseeing – Abruzzo Flora. Spring sees the countryside carpeted with wild flowers. It's the best time of year to go walking and wandering.
• La Morgia – The Abruzzo Landmark That's Also An Artwork. Spring also gave us our first real chance to explore the local area. This was our stunning first stop.

That takes us up to the start of April 2008. At this stage, the planning permits for our own house and the villas for your holidays for couples were going through the application process. The third and final part of the Villasfor2 About Abruzzo Blog of Blogs will bring you right up to date.

(And if you'd like to mail us – there's a link at the very bottom of this page – below the space reserved for comments !)

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