Bari or Como?

Bari has real sea swimming. There is a sandy city beach at Pane e Pomodoro and there are rocky platforms around Torre Quetta. Better coves are a short train ride south at Polignano a Mare and Monopoli, and the water stays warm into September.

Como offers lake dips instead, at lidos with lawns and pontoons such as the one by Villa Olmo, or from pebble jetties in Cernobbio and Moltrasio. The season is shorter, there is little sand, and a swim is a pleasant extra rather than a beach day by the Adriatic.

Food is one of the clearest reasons to choose Bari. Hand-rolled orecchiette in Bari Vecchia, focaccia barese, sgagliozze and raw sea urchins by the fishermen's pier give it a street food culture that Como lacks, all at fair prices and with Primitivo or Negroamaro to drink.

Como's Lombard cooking is heartier, with perch risotto, missoltini and polenta, and the aperitivo around the cathedral is a pleasant ritual. But the choice is provincial, lakefront terraces charge for the view, and the best meals mean heading up the lake or into the hills.

Both cities have sights for a day or two, and Bari has slightly more to see. Its centrepiece is the Basilica di San Nicola, whose relics of St Nicholas bring Orthodox pilgrims, set in the whitewashed lanes of Bari Vecchia. The castle and the nineteenth-century Murat grid are close by.

Como is smaller but more refined in its details: a marble cathedral, the Romanesque churches of San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, and Terragni's Casa del Fascio for anyone interested in modern architecture. The Volta museum and the silk museum tell a story of science and trade rather than pilgrimage.

Bari is the place to stay out late. On summer evenings Piazza Mercantile and Piazza Ferrarese fill with students drinking on the steps, the bars in the Umbertino streets run past midnight, and in July and August the beach clubs south of the city take over.

Como winds down after aperitivo and dinner, with a few wine bars around Piazza Duomo and a stroll along the lakefront. There is no club scene, and locals who want a late night take the train to Milan.

Here Como is far ahead. Steep wooded mountains rise straight from the lake, and the funicular lifts you to Brunate and the ridge trails in minutes. The Via dei Monti Lariani, Monte Bisbino and the Greenway del Lago give days of walking, and there is kayaking and paddling on the water and the Ghisallo climb for cyclists.

Bari's landscape is flat olive country, and the seafront promenade is its main open space. The Alta Murgia plateau and the Grotte di Castellana, each about an hour away, suit gentle walks and cycling rather than mountain days.

Both make outstanding bases, and the difference is in what lies around them. From Bari you can reach Matera's cave town, the trulli of Alberobello, the white towns of the Valle d'Itria, Castel del Monte and Baroque Lecce, though slow regional lines often make a hire car worthwhile.

Como's trips are mostly by boat or fast train: ferries to Bellagio, Varenna and the villa gardens at Tremezzo, Milan's Last Supper within the hour, and Lugano and Bergamo's upper town. One gives you rural southern Italy, the other lakes, villas and big cities.

Neither city has much built for children, so the difference is in the kind of day out. Bari has a sandy city beach, gelato, traffic-free lanes in the old town, and trips to the Fasano safari park or the caves at Castellana, though you will need to plan around the summer midday heat.

Como has boat rides, the funicular to Brunate and summer lidos instead of a beach, and children tend to love all three. The gardens at Villa Olmo are easy with a pushchair. It suits a slower stay with outdoor days better than a beach week.

Both centres are flat and compact enough to walk. Bari is the hub of regional railways along the coast and inland, but some lines are slow and infrequent, so many visitors hire a car for the Valle d'Itria.

Como's fast trains to Milan and Lugano make onward travel simpler. Its ferries are scenic but slow to go far up the lake, and the shore roads clog in summer, so a car helps less here than in Puglia.

Bari is the place to fill a suitcase with food. Dried orecchiette, taralli, olive oil and local wine come from delicatessens and old town doorways, and Puglian ceramics are the one craft worth looking for. For clothes there are the Italian chains along Via Sparano.

Como's speciality is silk, and here you buy it at the source. Scarves, ties and fabric come from old town shops and from the outlets of the mills that supply the fashion houses. The weekend market near the walls adds crafts and antiques, and Milan is close for serious fashion.

Bari is clearly better value. Street food, trattoria lunches and local wine cost little and the old town and basilica are free, though rooms get scarcer in July and August.

Como is expensive, especially for lakeside hotels and villa rentals in summer, and lakefront tables charge for the setting. Staying back from the water, eating in the hills and coming in spring or autumn narrow the gap without closing it.

Bari has the bigger stage. The Teatro Petruzzelli is one of Italy's largest opera houses, with a full season of opera, ballet and symphonic concerts, and in summer there are open-air concerts and a jazz festival in the piazzas and the castle.

Como's Teatro Sociale is a handsome house, and its summer Arena and its chamber concerts in churches and villas make pleasant evenings. But the programme is lighter and many nights are quiet. Its real advantage is that La Scala is within easy reach.

Neither city has thermal baths, but Como is the more restful place. Its grand lakeside villa hotels have proper spas, and the still water, gardens along the shore and slow ferry rides set a calm pace, best in spring and autumn.

In Bari, relaxing means the southern rhythm of long lunches, an afternoon break and the evening walk on the seafront. For real pampering, visitors head out to restored country estates beyond the city.