i only re-started riding bicycles a short while ago ,but some personal thoughts might help you

to ride hilly roads easier you need:

light weight: both you and your bike
strength: more hill you ride, easier it gets. this is quite essential.
gear ratio: aint that important for some experienced riders i know(well, they are racers), but for most of us, low gear ratio helps to get up the hills. ( although sometimes i rather prefer to push the bike up. )

i live in a hilly country, you can rarely see one single fully flat road. so i am quite used to it.