Bergamo or Zadar?

This is where the two cities differ most. Zadar is on the Adriatic, and in summer swimming is part of daily life, straight off the stone promenade or at Kolovare and the pine-shaded shore at Borik. Those city beaches are pebble and concrete, but the long sandy shallows at Nin and the pale sand at Sakarun on Dugi Otok are close enough for a day out.

Bergamo is inland, so swimming means a trip to the lakes. Lake Iseo, around Sarnico and Lovere, and the Lecco arm of Lake Como have lidos and grassy shores. They make a pleasant escape on a hot day, but they are no reason to choose Bergamo.

Bergamo has the richer and more varied table. It serves Lombard mountain cooking: casoncelli in sage butter, polenta with braised meats and game, and cheeses such as Taleggio, Branzi and the blue Strachitunt. Franciacorta sparkling wine comes from next door, and there is a serious fine-dining tier.

Zadar serves Dalmatian coastal cooking: grilled fish, black risotto, octopus or lamb from under the peka bell, and Pag cheese with pršut. It is also the home of Maraschino liqueur. The food is good, but the old town menus are much alike, so a week of eating out repeats itself more quickly here than in Bergamo.

The two cities share a heritage: the Venetian fortifications around both belong to the same UNESCO listing. Inside its walls, though, Bergamo has more to see. The hilltop Città Alta has survived almost whole, with Piazza Vecchia, Santa Maria Maggiore and the marble front of the Cappella Colleoni. Below the hill, the Accademia Carrara holds Raphael, Bellini and Mantegna.

Zadar's history goes back further. A Roman forum lies open beside the round ninth-century Church of St Donatus, and the Museum of Ancient Glass is a good small collection. Its best-known modern sights are on the waterfront: the Sea Organ and the Greeting to the Sun.

Neither city is built for a big night out, and Zadar is only slightly livelier, mainly in summer. Evenings there start at sunset by the Sea Organ and move to terrace bars on the walls and café-bars along Kalelarga. For real clubbing, people go to Zrće on Pag, about an hour away. From October the town goes quiet.

Bergamo is steadier through the year but closes earlier. A long aperitivo leads to wine bars around Via XX Settembre and Borgo Santa Caterina, and most evenings end around midnight. Anyone wanting clubs goes to Milan.

Both have mountains close by, and Zadar adds the sea. Paklenica's limestone gorges offer hiking and some of Croatia's best rock climbing. Boats run out to the stark Kornati islands and the cliffs of Telašćica, and the waterfalls at Krka and Plitvice are within reach.

Bergamo's outdoors is alpine. Woodland paths climb from the upper town to San Vigilio, and Val Brembana and Val Seriana lead into the Orobie Alps, with rifugi and high lakes. It also has small ski areas such as Foppolo in winter, which Zadar cannot offer.

Bergamo is the stronger base, mainly because so much can be reached by train. Milan's Duomo and the Last Supper are under an hour away. Lake Como, Lake Iseo with its car-free Monte Isola, Brescia and Crespi d'Adda are all close, and Verona and Cremona make longer days out.

From Zadar, Šibenik's cathedral and the royal town of Nin are rewarding trips. Split and Trogir, though, mean a long day on the motorway. Without a car or an organised excursion, island ferries are the easiest outings.

Both cities are calm and safe for children, but the days look different. In Bergamo the highlights are the funicular rides and outings to Leolandia's gentle rides or the animals at Le Cornelle. The cobbled lanes of the upper town are hard work with a buggy, though.

Zadar has no theme park or zoo, but its old town is flat and car-free. Children love the Sea Organ and the lit-up tiles of the Greeting to the Sun, and the shallow sand at Nin is ideal for small swimmers.

Bergamo is easier to get around without a car. Funiculars link the lower town, the Città Alta and San Vigilio, the airport is a short bus ride away, and direct trains go to Milan, Brescia and Lecco. You only need a car for the upper valleys.

Zadar's peninsula takes a quarter of an hour to cross on foot, and island ferries leave from the edge of the old town. The local buses are basic, though, and the national parks and the wider coast are far easier to reach with a hire car or on an organised excursion.

Neither city is a shopping destination, but Bergamo has more. The arcaded Sentierone and Via XX Settembre have mid-range fashion, the upper town's main lane is lined with cheese shops and wine sellers, and Milan's fashion streets are under an hour away.

In Zadar, shopping means Kalelarga's jewellers and souvenir shops and the open-air market by the walls. The best things to bring home are Maraschino, Pag cheese and Pag lace.

Both cities cost about the same as a mid-range Western European destination, but costs rise for different reasons. In Bergamo, lower-town hotels and trattorias are fair, while rooms inside the Città Alta and summer weekends cost more.

In Zadar, the season matters most. Private apartments are good value outside July and August, and park entry fees and boat trips add up quickly. June and September give the best balance.

Bergamo has a proper stage season, built around Donizetti, who was born here. The Teatro Donizetti stages opera, concerts and theatre, and in autumn it holds a festival of his works. Bergamo Jazz runs in spring, and La Scala in Milan is within reach for an evening.

Zadar's music is mostly a summer affair. The early-music concerts in the ninth-century St Donatus are unforgettable, and you may hear klapa singing in the squares. For most of the year there is little to attend.

Bergamo has real spa towns within easy reach. San Pellegrino Terme is a Belle Époque resort about forty minutes up Val Brembana, and the sulphur springs at Trescore Balneario have been used since Roman times.

Zadar has no bathing tradition beyond the mud lagoon at Nin and the hotel spas at Borik. Its way of relaxing is its slow pace: long café mornings and the evening sunset from the steps of the Sea Organ.