After living in France, I think you would find it pretty easy to settle into either Italy or Spain.

My perspective is skewed by the fact that I've lived in Spain for over 20 years, but only a few months in France and Italy. But I would say that Spain takes itself and its culture rather less seriously than France can especially, and Italy to a lesser degree.

I think that makes it easier to relax into. There's no sense of prickliness, that you're treading on people's toes or doing/saying the wrong thing.

Local culture is a big thing, as in France and Italy - village and neighbourhood festivals really matter to people and can be the social highlight of the year, which is a great way to get a feel for the vibe of a place. Sensibly, they tend to be scheduled for spring, mainly summer, or occasionaly early autumn, to guarantee fine weather and eating/drinking/dancing till late.

Any of the 50 provincial capitals will have a relatively vibrant cultural scene, as do plenty of other cities and even smaller towns.

Cadiz is magical. Gijón, A Coruña, Santander and Vigo in the north/northwest are also less famous but excellent choices (with their own cool factor (literally) looking ahead to more extreme summer heat in coming decades).

I feel a 'B-list Spanish Cities that Deserve Star Billing' article coming on, actually...