Assisi or Como?

From Assisi, a swim means driving about 45 minutes to the small lido beaches of Lake Trasimeno, where the water is warm but shallow and a little murky. Most visitors settle for the pool at a hotel or agriturismo.

Neither city is a beach destination, but in Como you can swim close to town. In summer it is easy to spend an afternoon on the lawns and pontoons of the Villa Olmo lido, though the water at the city's busy southern end is less inviting. For a cleaner swim, take a ferry up the lake to the pebble beaches and jetties of Moltrasio or the Tremezzina.

The two eat about equally well, in different registers. Assisi's table is Umbrian and rural: strangozzi with black truffle, Castelluccio lentils, torta al testo, Monte Subasio olive oil and powerful Sagrantino from Montefalco.

Como cooks lake and mountain food, with perch risotto, missoltini and polenta, and adds an aperitivo ritual on its squares that Assisi lacks. In both places the best meals are away from the famous sights, in side-lane trattorias or country places in the valley or the hills.

Assisi is the stronger draw. The two-level Basilica of San Francesco, with frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini and Lorenzetti, is a monument of European importance, and the Temple of Minerva, Santa Chiara and the Porziuncola fill a calm second day.

Como's old town has real quality on a smaller scale: the marble cathedral, the Romanesque San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, Terragni's Casa del Fascio for architecture lovers, and the Volta and silk museums. It is a good day of sightseeing rather than a pilgrimage.

Como offers a little more after dark: aperitivo on Piazza Duomo, a few cocktail and wine bars, and summer strolls along the lakefront. There are still no clubs, and late nights mean the train to Milan.

Assisi has essentially nothing beyond a glass of Sagrantino and a walk through empty floodlit lanes, and anyone wanting bars goes to Perugia.

Como is the more rewarding place to be outdoors. Steep wooded mountains drop straight into the lake, the funicular lifts you to ridge trails at Brunate in minutes, and there are long paths such as the Via dei Monti Lariani, as well as paddling, sailing and serious road cycling.

Assisi's landscape is gentler but still fine: the climb up Monte Subasio past the Eremo delle Carceri to open summit meadows, flat valley rides between Spello and Montefalco, and the Sibillini mountains and Castelluccio plain further off by car.

Both are superb bases, and the difference lies in the kind of outing. From Assisi the trips are to Umbrian hill towns: Spello, Perugia, Spoleto, Gubbio, Todi and Orvieto, with Tuscany's Cortona and Montepulciano in reach, though a car helps for the smaller ones.

From Como the outings mix lake and city: ferries to Bellagio, Varenna and the villa gardens of Tremezzo, a train to Milan's Last Supper, and Lugano across the Swiss border. Most of them work without a car.

Como is easier with children. Boat rides, the funicular, summer paddling at a lido and the flat, pushchair-friendly promenade by Villa Olmo give them things to enjoy, even though there is no zoo or theme park nearby.

Assisi is safe and welcoming, but its fresco-filled churches need silence and its lanes are steep and stepped. Older children may like the Rocca Maggiore, but most families are happier at a valley agriturismo with a pool and visit the town in short trips.

Como is the simpler place to move around. The old town and lakefront are flat, there are two stations for Milan and a line to Lugano, and ferries reach every lake village, although slowly and with summer traffic on the shore roads.

Assisi's centre is small, but it climbs steeply from the basilica to the cathedral, and the station sits about 4km below in Santa Maria degli Angeli. Trains cover the valley towns, but further into Umbria you will need a hire car.

Como has the better shopping, and silk is the reason: scarves and ties from old-town specialists and mill outlets that supply the fashion houses, plus a short run of boutiques on Via Vittorio Emanuele II and a weekend antiques market. Milan is close for anything bigger.

Assisi's shops are mostly devotional souvenirs, but among them you can find worthwhile Assisi embroidery, Deruta ceramics, truffle products and Sagrantino.

Assisi is clearly the cheaper stay. Its great basilicas are free, convent guesthouses offer simple rooms at low cost, and valley agriturismi are good value, with only Easter and feast days pushing prices up inside the walls.

Como's international luxury crowd makes lakeside hotels and restaurants expensive, especially in July and August. Staying back from the water, eating in old-town trattorias and travelling by train and ferry keeps costs reasonable.

Como has a proper stage: the neoclassical Teatro Sociale, with opera, ballet and orchestral seasons, open-air summer shows in its Arena, and chamber concerts in villas and Romanesque churches. La Scala is a short train ride away.

Assisi's music is sacred and seasonal, with organ and choral concerts in the basilica and the costumed Calendimaggio festival in spring. For opera or jazz, people go to Perugia.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and both offer calm rather than treatments. In Como that means grand villa-hotel spas, gardens on the water and slow ferry rides, though the lakefront can feel busy in midsummer.

Assisi's quiet is spiritual: retreats in convent guesthouses, silent walks to the Eremo delle Carceri and lanes that go completely still once the tour groups leave.