Bergamo or Padua?

Neither city is a beach destination, but the water on offer is different. From Bergamo you swim in lakes, at the lidos of Lake Iseo or on the Lecco arm of Como, from pebble, grass or concrete platforms with mountains behind.

From Padua the Adriatic is about an hour away at Sottomarina or the Lido of Venice. There you get real sand and warmer, shallow water that suits small children, but it comes as long flat rows of umbrellas rather than scenery.

Both eat well, and the difference is in the cooking. Bergamo serves mountain food: casoncelli in butter and sage, polenta with game and mushrooms, and valley cheeses such as Taleggio and Strachitunt. It also has a serious fine-dining tier that Padua lacks.

Padua's table is Venetian, with bigoli in duck sauce, baccalà and risotto with peas. Its real draw is the twin morning markets under the Palazzo della Ragione, and the standing spritz in the squares that goes with them.

Padua has the greater individual masterpieces. Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel and the UNESCO-listed fresco cycles around it, Donatello's work at the Basilica of Saint Anthony, the anatomical theatre at Palazzo Bo and the Orto Botanico add up to a centre of real art-historical weight. The chapel's timed visits are worth booking ahead.

Bergamo's strength is the whole of the Città Alta, a walled hilltop town inside its Venetian ramparts, where Piazza Vecchia, Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cappella Colleoni sit together. The Accademia Carrara below adds a fine collection of paintings. Both cities can be seen in a day or two.

Padua has the livelier evenings, thanks to its large university. During term the squares around Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori stay full of spritz drinkers until late, and wine bars fill the lanes of the old ghetto, although the city empties in high summer.

Bergamo's night tends to end around midnight, after aperitivo on Via XX Settembre or drinks on the walls in summer. In both cities clubs are few and sit on the outskirts.

Bergamo has much the better outdoors. The Colli di Bergamo park rises straight out of the upper town, and the Orobie Alps to the north offer serious summer hiking, high lakes and small ski areas such as Foppolo in winter. Lake Iseo and Lake Como add sailing and cycling.

Padua sits on the flat plain. Its nearest hills, the volcanic Euganean cones, are about 15km away, with vineyards and road cycling, and the Brenta towpaths make gentle bike rides. Real mountain walking means a drive to Monte Grappa or the Asiago plateau.

Both are excellent bases, but Padua's position is hard to beat. Venice is under half an hour by train and Vicenza a quarter of an hour, and Verona, Treviso, Bologna and Ferrara are all an easy rail ride. The Brenta villas and the walled towns of Este and Montagnana are closer still.

Bergamo's range is more Lombard, with lakes and countryside. Milan is under an hour away, Lake Iseo and Lake Como are nearer, and Crespi d'Adda, Brescia, Cremona and the Franciacorta wine country are easy outings.

Bergamo gives children more to do. Riding the funiculars up to the Città Alta and San Vigilio is a treat in itself, and Leolandia and Le Cornelle are both close enough for an easy outing. Its weak point is the steep cobbled lanes, which are hard going with a buggy.

Padua turns that around: the centre is flat, largely pedestrianised and easy with a pushchair, but beyond Prato della Valle and the botanical garden there is little aimed at children. Gardaland and the sea mean an hour or more of travel.

Padua is the easier city to get around. Its small, flat centre has arcades that shelter you from the weather, a tram runs to the station and Prato della Valle, and the station's main lines put a string of cities within quick reach without a car.

Bergamo is split over two levels, linked by funiculars and buses, and the climb between them is steep on foot. Its airport is only a short bus ride from the centre, but the upper valleys and the lake shores really need a car.

Neither is a shopping destination. Both send fashion shoppers to Milan, and Padua's also go to Venice. In Bergamo, chain stores line Via XX Settembre and the Sentierone, while the Città Alta's main lane is the place for cheeses, salumi and Valcalepio wine.

Padua has more independent boutiques and university bookshops, food stalls at its daily markets and a large antiques market in Prato della Valle one Sunday a month.

The two cost about the same: moderate for northern Italy, and good value as a base for touring the region. In Bergamo, staying in the lower town keeps costs down, while rooms inside the Città Alta cost more and summer weekends fill up.

Padua's hotel prices jump around its big trade fairs and graduation season. A night there also costs much less than a night in nearby Venice.

Bergamo has the stronger stage life, built around Donizetti, who was born there. The Teatro Donizetti runs an opera season and an autumn festival of his works, the Teatro Sociale stages smaller productions up in the Città Alta, and Bergamo Jazz brings a spring festival with a long history.

Padua's programme is smaller: prose theatre and some opera at Teatro Verdi, plus chamber concerts in the Sala dei Giganti. For major opera, visitors go to the Fenice in Venice or the Arena in Verona.

Padua is the place for a spa break. Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, about 12km away, form one of Europe's largest thermal districts, with hot mineral pools and mud treatments, and many spa hotels take day visitors, so a soak fits easily into an afternoon.

Bergamo's spas are a longer trip away: the Belle Époque spa at San Pellegrino Terme up Val Brembana, or the old sulphur springs at Trescore Balneario. In town, the quiet walls of the Città Alta are its best way to unwind.