I think great ideas for Girona and Valencia. Antequera or a small town outside Malaga would be nice. And on the costa de la Luz area, Vejer, Sanlucar or Cadiz.

scrb11,

I've never made a study of Tuscan real estate, but I've gotten the impression that quite a bit of what is sold to foreigners is property owned by corporations that specialize in doing this -- as opposed to you or me going to real estate offices in Tuscany and checking out what's for sale. Those corporations go through all the grief of acquiring family/farm property, and once they own it, it is much simpler for a foreigner to buy from the corporation than it would be for us to buy from individuals (because often the property is encumbered in ways that are hard for us to figure out). So the corporation makes it a much more "straightforward" transaction/contract.

Most property close to long-haul transporation is more expensive, throughout Europe and America too. Although the real estate market operates very differently in Italy, "location, location, location" still boosts price (airport, train station, sea view, hospitals, etc.)

Browse a Spanish real estate website some time (try the Costa Brava) and you will instantly see how it is much more user-friendly for foreign buyers.

We were very close to relocating to Mallorca four years ago.

It has a very well balanced climate, solid economy which is usually protected from sharp down turns. The cultural scene is well developed following its' economic success over the past 70 years.

Combine all this with flexible planners who allow interesting development and stunning scenery, it is an attractive choice.

bookmarking

Since any move would be a few years off, I'd say just carry on as you are, exploring places and seeing where you are most drawn by. DH and I (separately then together) had spent over 20 years travelling at least once a year to different places in Italy, although we frequently returned to the places we liked best. For the last 7 years, we had become more & more obsessed with Venice and preferred just to holiday here; so when we got the chance to try living in Italy, Venice is where we came. We are not as lucky as you in that we still need to work (although we came expecting to live much more modestly), so may have to go elsewhere next year if we can't make enough to live on in Venice. So to start with we've rented a flat for a year. But thought we might as well start off in the place we love best and where we really wanted to be!

Good luck!