Bari or Turin?

Bari can give you a beach vacation and Turin cannot. In Bari you can swim at Pane e Pomodoro or off the rocks near Torre Quetta without leaving town, and the clear coves south towards Polignano a Mare and Monopoli are an easy half-day by train.

Turin is inland on the Po plain. The nearest sea is the Ligurian coast near Savona, close to two hours away, and in summer the locals make do with small lakes such as Avigliana. If you can't do without a swim, Turin only works if you add a few separate days on the coast.

Both cities eat very well, but Turin has the greater depth. Piedmontese cooking is rich and precise: agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato, autumn white truffles from the Langhe and Barolo on every wine list. It also has an aperitivo tradition, the gianduja chocolate born in the city and bicerin served in the historic arcade cafés.

Bari is better on the street and at the market. Focaccia barese, panzerotti, fried polenta and raw seafood eaten by the fishermen's pier are cheap pleasures Turin cannot match. Sit-down meals of orecchiette and tiella are generous but simple, and the fine-dining choice is small.

Turin is in another league for sightseeing. The Museo Egizio alone justifies a visit, and around it are the Royal Palace, Palazzo Madama, the Shroud cathedral, the National Cinema Museum in the Mole and the UNESCO-listed Savoy residences, with contemporary art at Rivoli. That is enough for several full days.

Bari's sights cluster in Bari Vecchia, where the Basilica di San Nicola is a fine example of Apulian Romanesque and a pilgrimage site. Add the cathedral, the castle and the Murat quarter and you have a pleasant day or two, not a week's worth.

Neither city is a party destination, and both are relaxed and sociable after dark. The difference is in the setting. Bari's nights happen outdoors and late, with crowds on the steps of Piazza Mercantile and Piazza Ferrarese and beach clubs along the coast in high summer, but winter weeknights go quiet.

Turin's evenings begin with a long aperitivo and then spread across distinct bar districts: the wine bars of the Quadrilatero Romano, the student pavements of San Salvario and the slightly alternative Vanchiglia, with clubs in old industrial buildings and the riverside Murazzi in summer.

Turin has the Alps on its horizon, and they are close enough to visit. Gran Paradiso's ibex and high trails, the Susa valley and the ski slopes of the Via Lattea are around an hour or so away, offering hiking, climbing and skiing in season. Closer in, there are the Superga hills, the Mandria forest and riverside cycling in Valentino park.

Bari's surroundings are gentler. You get a long seafront promenade, open walking and cycling on the Alta Murgia plateau and the Grotte di Castellana, but there are no mountains, and the wilder Gargano is too far for a day.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference lies in what surrounds them. From Bari, the trips are to remarkable towns: the cave dwellings of Matera, the trulli of Alberobello, white Ostuni, Trani's cathedral by the sea and Baroque Lecce. Slow regional lines mean a car helps inland.

From Turin, the trips lean towards wine and landscape: the Langhe vineyards around Alba, Barolo and Bra, the Sacra di San Michele on its rock, and Aosta or Lake Maggiore. Fast trains also put Milan within an hour and Genoa within about two.

The two are about equally manageable with children, in different ways. Bari offers a sandy city beach, traffic-free lanes and gelato on the evening passeggiata, which suits young children, though attractions such as the caves and the safari park mean trips out of town.

Turin gives older children more to do within the city: the glass lift up the Mole, the Egyptian mummies, the car museum and the rack railway to Superga. Its arcades also offer shelter from rain and sun. Neither city has a zoo or aquarium in the centre.

Both centres are flat and easy to walk, and Turin's is slightly simpler to get around. Its grid of arcaded streets runs from Porta Nuova to the river, and a driverless metro line and the fast rail links to other Italian cities add reach.

Bari Vecchia, the Murat streets and the seafront sit side by side, and a train goes to the airport. The city buses, though, are slow, and the regional railways to Matera and the Valle d'Itria run infrequently, so many visitors hire a car.

Turin gives a shopper more. Via Roma has luxury labels under its arcades, there are boutiques around Via Lagrange, antique dealers on Via Maria Vittoria and the Balon flea market on Saturdays, and the chocolate makers and truffle delicatessens are a draw in their own right.

Bari's Via Sparano is mostly high-street chains. The real finds are food to take home, such as dried orecchiette, taralli and olive oil, along with Puglian ceramics.

Costs are similar in the two cities, and both are comfortable rather than cheap. Bari's savings come from street food, cheap local wine and a free old town, while its rooms get tighter in July and August.

In Turin, a generous aperitivo can replace dinner and Porta Palazzo market is good value. Spending rises with museum tickets, fine dining, truffle season and trade-fair weeks.

Turin has the fuller calendar. The Teatro Regio stages opera and ballet, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra plays at its own auditorium, there are concerts at the Lingotto, and jazz clubs and music festivals run through the year.

Bari's highlight is the Teatro Petruzzelli, one of Italy's largest opera houses and well worth an evening out. Beyond that, the offer is mainly summer jazz and open-air concerts in the piazzas and the castle.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and spas in both are mostly in hotels. Turin is the more restful stay, with slow coffee in historic cafés, walks along the Po and in Valentino park, and real thermal waters at Acqui Terme or in the Aosta valley if you are willing to travel.

Bari's calm comes from its southern routine of long lunches, an afternoon break and the seafront stroll. Anyone looking for proper pampering usually moves out to a restored country estate.