We moved to Italy because its food and prices beat the UK but we're leaving after 6 months

Three years ago, a British woman left the UK with her growing family in search of a better life. Since then, the family has travelled more than 15,000 miles across the globe - from Iceland to Mauritius - before settling in Italy, hoping to finally find the perfect place to call home.

Annabel Fenwick Elliott moved to Umbria, a picturesque region in central Italy known for its rolling hills and medieval villages, drawn in by the promise of delicious food, sunshine and the charm of "la dolce vita". Italy has long been a popular destination for British expats, though since Brexit, many have found it increasingly difficult to secure visas. Thanks to her remote work and her husband's job as a helicopter pilot, which allows him to work anywhere, the couple had their pick of European countries. Their time in Iceland, while scenic, proved too cold and linguistically challenging. They considered Portugal, France and Spain but ultimately chose Italy for its unbeatable cuisine and culture.

"So off we went - renting a small farmhouse with a few acres on the outskirts of a tiny Umbrian village bordering Tuscany," Annabel wrote in The Telegraph. "It was a bargain, costing just €750 (£660) a month."

She said that the locals have been welcoming, the nursery for their three-year-old son is just an eight-minute walk away and free of charge and the food is consistently fresh and delicious. They have also lucked out on the weather, too, as it has been hot but not humid in summer, and pleasantly mild in spring and autumn.

However, not everything has been perfect. The family has found the country's deep-rooted Catholicism a little intense. Their son, for example, receives two hours of religious instruction every Wednesday at nursery. Meanwhile, though Italy is famously family-friendly, she noted that opportunities for young people leaving school remain limited.

Ultimately, the biggest challenge for her has been the language barrier. Despite completing an intensive Italian course, she admitted struggling to communicate and feeling isolated as a result.

"I am shy and awkward enough around strangers in English," she said, adding that trying to talk to Italians feels "difficult, embarrassing, isolating and demoralising".

"This has led me to conclude that no matter how beautiful the scenery or welcoming the society, I will never flourish anywhere in Europe, and is why we're headed next (and hopefully, for good) to the US.

After months of reflection, the family now plan to move to the country that offers everything from beaches to ski slopes and deserts to lakes, but most importantly, a shared language that will finally make settling in easier.

"I can remove 'learn an entirely new language from scratch' from my integration to-do list," Annabel said.