In my 20s, I visited Cyprus twice and always dreamed of coming back every year with husband and kids and becoming part of their community - kids learning the language, culture, history, etc.

Now my husband and I want to look for such a place. I'm still thinking Mediterranean - Greece, Cyrpus, Italy, etc. - very safe, smaller towns. Some local grasp of English is great, but too much spoils the experience. Does anyone have any recommendations we might try? We need to find our special place!

Arezzo
Cortona
Some place in Sardinia or Sicily
Corfu

If you are thinking summer time, many popular places will be crowded and prices high.

i wouldn't think about visiting a place every year until after i visited at least once. seriously, maybe you are forcing this whole annual visit thing too much. just travel and do what feels right. you'll know the spot when you find it.

Don't worry, walkaround - this is just for our first exploratory trip! We don't expect to find it the first time out!

How long would each of these annual trips last? If you're thinking of anything under a month, becoming part of the community might be overly optimistic. Places with any kind of catering to tourists--hotels, for instance--are going to see you as one family among thousands.

I found my "annual spot" in Sicily. But I'm not kidding myself: The owner and staff are happy to see me every year, they treat me very well indeed, and even though I speak Italian with some of them, I know that I'm only a regular guest and not a member of the community.

I think you are approaching it backwards. You travel and find a place that speaks to you, then you choose to go back every year because you love it the most. It finds you, you don't find it... is my point.

I guess we want a place where for about a month a year, our kids could be friends with local kids. I'd be thrilled to find a place without much of a tourist element, rent the same house or apartment each time, etc. Mayeb we could be regulars, instead. I just want my family to feel ties to and have relationships in another culture and place. Corfu and Cortona look great, as do Sicily and Sardinia, which I know a lot less about right now. Time to do some travel research - my favorite kind!

Somewhere on the south coast of Crete- Paleochora is my established favourite, but I'd consider Makrigialos.

Cyprus is very developed these days. Maybe somewhere like Polis would be OK. Or somewhere in the mountans.

in Italy. somewhere in the Lunignana might fit the bill- English would be an issue, but.

I want to take 20 or 30 years to find the perfect annual spot.