Italy's villages and cities appeal to retirees for many different reasons - the beautiful beaches, breathtaking countryside, amazing food, wonderful nightlife, bustling town markets and welcoming people. In this article, we cover several of our readers' favorite places, but one of our members offered the best advice, "in over 20 years of travel to Italy from the Alps to the Aeolian Islands/Sicily, the place you want to call home should sing to you.

If that hasn't happened yet, you need to remain flexible by renting an apartment that you can use as a base to explore. When I first visited Naples/Sorrento/Amalfi, I was sure THAT was where I wanted to live. When I fist visited Tuscany and its hilltop towns, surely THAT was it. Then it was the lakes region that became THAT place.