Bergamo or Trieste?

Bergamo is inland, so summer swimming means going to a lake. The nearest are the lidos and grassy shores of Lake Iseo and the Lecco arm of Lake Como. They make a pleasant day out, not a reason to choose the city.

Trieste has the sea on its doorstep. There is no sand, but the stepped concrete and pine-shaded lawns of Barcola and the old bathing establishments with changing cabins are a short bus ride from the centre. Prettier pebble coves lie below the cliffs at Sistiana and Duino. If you are happy to climb down a ladder into the water, swimming becomes part of the daily routine here, which never happens in Bergamo.

Both cities eat well, but differently. Bergamo cooks Lombard mountain food: casoncelli in butter and sage, polenta with braised meats and game, and a remarkable range of valley cheeses such as Taleggio and Strachitunt. Franciacorta sparkling wine is made next door, and the province has a proper fine-dining tier.

Trieste's food draws on Austria and the Slavic world. You eat boiled pork carved at an old buffet counter, jota soup and marinated sardoni, and coffee comes with its own local vocabulary. The farmhouse osmize on the Karst, pouring Vitovska and Terrano, have no equivalent in Bergamo, though Trieste has less fine dining.

The two are close in depth but differ in era and mood. Bergamo is a Renaissance hill town inside UNESCO-listed Venetian walls. The marble front of the Cappella Colleoni and the Baroque interior of Santa Maria Maggiore stand a few steps apart, and the Accademia Carrara below the hill holds paintings by Raphael, Bellini and Mantegna.

Trieste's appeal is a whole imperial port city: the sea-facing Piazza Unità, the neoclassical grid of the Borgo Teresiano and the Serbian Orthodox dome by the Canal Grande. Miramare Castle stands on the coast, a large synagogue in town, and the Risiera di San Sabba memorial is a sobering visit. Come to Bergamo for great painting, and to Trieste for a layered townscape shaped by many peoples.

Neither city is built for a big night out. In both, the evening is an aperitivo that ends around midnight. Bergamo's evenings centre on wine bars around Borgo Santa Caterina and, in summer, drinks along the upper-town walls. For clubs, people take the train to Milan.

Trieste has its own summer pleasure in the kiosks and bars along the Barcola seafront, open late on warm nights. Otherwise it is spritz on the Canal Grande and quiet streets in winter.

Both cities have serious outdoors close by, but of very different kinds. Bergamo's is Alpine. Woodland paths climb from the upper town through the Colli di Bergamo to San Vigilio, and beyond them Val Brembana and Val Seriana lead into the Orobie Alps, with rifugi, high lakes, long summer hikes and small ski areas such as Foppolo in winter. The lakes add sailing and cycling, but for the high mountains a car makes things far easier.

Trieste offers limestone and sea instead of high peaks, and much of it starts at the edge of town. The Strada Napoleonica runs along the Karst high above the gulf, Val Rosandra offers hiking and climbing on the southern fringe, and the Grotta Gigante opens underground. Where Bergamo has lakes, Trieste has open water: the gulf is made for sailing and the Miramare reserve for snorkelling and kayaking. Choose Bergamo for proper mountain days, and Trieste for cliff walks and time on the sea that a city bus can reach.

Bergamo has the edge as a base. Milan is under an hour by train, and Lake Como and Lake Iseo are closer still. Crespi d'Adda, Brescia, Cremona and Verona can all be reached without a car, so a week of outings needs very little planning.

Trieste's range is wider across borders but more spread out. Aquileia's mosaic floor, the star-shaped Palmanova and the Collio vineyards are about an hour away in Friuli, Piran and the Postojna cave are in Slovenia, and the Istrian towns of Croatia can be reached by car. Venice, at about two hours each way, makes a long day.

Both are calm, safe and steep in places, and neither has much in the centre designed for children. Bergamo's advantage is just outside town. Leolandia, built for younger children, is about twenty minutes away, Le Cornelle wildlife park makes an easy half day, and the funicular rides are a treat in themselves.

Trieste suits older children better. They tend to love the vast Grotta Gigante, the castle and gardens at Miramare and the boats across the bay. Toddlers will find swimming off rocks and concrete steps hard going.

Both cities have a flat lower part and a steep upper one, but they deal with the climb differently. In Bergamo, a funicular lifts you from the lower town to the Città Alta and a second carries on to San Vigilio, so the hill takes little effort. A light-rail line runs up Val Seriana and direct trains reach Milan, Brescia and Lecco, though the upper valleys and lake shores are quicker by car.

In Trieste the main sights are closer together on flat ground by the water, so Piazza Unità, the Canal Grande and the museums are an easy walk from one another. Above them, San Giusto and the districts behind it climb steeply in long flights of steps, and there is no funicular to help. Buses follow the coast to Barcola and Miramare, and boats cross the bay to Muggia, which makes Trieste the easier of the two to explore without a car.

Neither city is a shopping destination, and the best buys in both are things to eat and drink. Bergamo's arcaded Sentierone has mid-range chains, and the upper town's main lane is lined with cheese shops and salumi counters. Milan is close for fashion.

Trieste's browsing is more unusual: antique and second-hand shops in the old town lanes, plus coffee from local roasters and Karst honey to take home.

Costs are much the same, comfortable rather than cheap. In Bergamo, a room in the lower town is the sensible choice, as staying inside the Città Alta costs more and summer weekends fill up.

In Trieste, the cheap pleasures are part of local life: a coffee standing at the bar, a plate at a buffet, and free swimming at Barcola. Rooms tighten in high summer and around the autumn regatta.

Trieste has the fuller stage life. The Teatro Verdi on the waterfront runs a proper season of opera and ballet, and the city keeps up an operetta tradition inherited from the Habsburgs that is rare in Italy. There is also a Slovenian-language theatre, and in summer there are concerts in the castle courtyard on San Giusto.

Bergamo's highlight is narrower but distinguished. The Donizetti festival each autumn at the Teatro Donizetti draws opera lovers to the composer's birthplace, and Bergamo Jazz fills the spring. Outside those dates, an evening at La Scala in Milan is the stronger option.

Bergamo is the better choice for actual spa time. San Pellegrino Terme, a grand Belle Époque spa town, is about forty minutes up Val Brembana, and Trescore Balneario's sulphur springs have been in use since Roman times.

Trieste offers rest of a different kind: an unhurried city of newspapers in old coffee houses and sunset walks on the Molo Audace. Its spas are limited to hotels and day spas, and thermal baths mean leaving town.