And we've come to quite a few conclusions after having visited Sardinia and comparing to Greece, New Zealand, etc.
The people
We don't like Italians. They are arrogant and not very happy/positive + they seem to have no respect for others, at least not tourists. This is in general - there's of course always exceptions :)
Nature
Italians are not very tidy - they litter everywhere and often road sides, streets, etc. are full of garbage. Also - they don't pick up after their dogs....... not nice!
Speed limits
Like anywhere in Italy the speed limits seem to be only indicative as the Italians drive like crazy! And they park whereever they like - probably goes with their arrogant personalities.
Beaches:
First of all the beaches here should be the best in Europe - and some of the photos you see look really good - and... there are some nice beaches, but nothing we haven't seen before either in Greece or New Zealand. And... some of the beaches you see on photos turn out to be very, very small, so when you get there, it's totally crowded. So I think the beaches here in Sardinia are overrated. On top of that you have to pay to get access to some of the beaches - which is something very special for all of Italy - and really, really annoying we think! And often the best beaches are owned by a hotel or a private club so you cannot access them unless you pay to become a member of the club or stay in the hotel that owns the beach.
So we once dreamed about owning a house in Italy - but based on all the above - not anymore! (I think Per could eventually fit in - based on his driving :) We do still love Tuscany, Umbria, Perugia, Venice, Lugano and the Northern lake area but we're just not sure we would want to live 'with' Italians and their values.
So we would probably choose Greece, Geneva or..... A very big - and very important - decision/conclusion for us. Just as important as finding out where you would like to stay is to find out where you DON'T want to stay/live.