Bergamo or Zermatt?

Neither place has a coast, but Bergamo at least has a summer swim nearby. Lake Iseo's lidos at Sarnico and Lovere and the Lecco arm of Lake Como warm to about 23°C by July, though the shores are pebble, grass or concrete rather than sand.

Zermatt's tarns are glacier meltwater, there to photograph with the Matterhorn and too cold to swim in. A hotel pool is the only option there.

Bergamo is the better place to eat. It has its own dishes, casoncelli with butter and sage, polenta with braised meats and game, and valley cheeses such as Taleggio and Strachitunt. The upper town has trattorias and pastry shops, and the lower town has ordinary everyday restaurants, so eating out does not have to be an occasion.

Zermatt's best meals are long lunches at the chalets around Findeln and Furi, with raclette, air-dried beef and a Petite Arvine on a terrace facing the mountain. In the village there are few choices beyond hotel dining and a handful of high-end kitchens, and many places close between seasons.

Here the gap is wide. Bergamo's upper town is an almost complete walled hilltop town, a UNESCO site, with Piazza Vecchia, Santa Maria Maggiore and the marble front of the Cappella Colleoni. The Accademia Carrara below adds Renaissance painting of real quality.

Zermatt's history is about climbing: the underground Matterhorn Museum, the climbers' graves by the church and the old larch barns of the Hinterdorf. These are interesting, but they fill a single morning.

Neither is a place for big nights out, and the evenings differ more in timing than in size. Bergamo's evenings are an unhurried aperitivo and wine bars around Borgo Santa Caterina, or summer drinks on the old walls, finishing around midnight all year. In Zermatt it is loud après-ski in ski boots from late afternoon, with a few clubs open late on winter weekends. In summer people turn in after dinner.

Bergamo has good walking from the doorstep. Paths climb through the Colli di Bergamo to San Vigilio, and the Orobie valleys to the north have rifugi and high lakes, though you will want a car for most of the mountains.

Zermatt is in another class. The Matterhorn and a ring of four-thousanders stand over the village, and lifts reach the Gorner Glacier and terrain above 3,800m, with skiing that links into Italy. In summer the Five Lakes walk, the Europaweg bridge and the guided high climbs start straight from town.

Bergamo is one of the best bases in northern Italy. Milan's Duomo and Last Supper are under an hour away, Lake Iseo's Monte Isola and the towns of Lake Como are closer still, and Brescia, Cremona and Verona all work as easy days out by train.

Zermatt is at the end of a long valley, so every outing starts with over an hour on the train. Sion's castle hills and vineyards make the best day out, but most visitors stay in the mountains.

Both are calm, safe places for children, and they suit different kinds of family trip. In Bergamo the attractions are the funiculars, gelato on the walls, and outings to the Leolandia theme park and the Le Cornelle wildlife park, though the cobbled upper town is tiring with a buggy.

Zermatt's car-free streets mean no traffic worries, and there are nursery slopes at Sunnegga and marmots to spot in summer. There is little to do on a wet day, though, and the highest viewpoints can be too cold and thin-aired for small children.

Zermatt is the simpler place to get around. Everything is on foot or by small electric taxi, and the cog railway, the underground funicular and the gondolas all start within walking distance of the centre. The only real effort is the train in from Täsch and a steep walk to hotels on the slopes.

Bergamo works on two levels joined by funiculars, with buses to the station and the airport and direct trains to Milan and Lecco. The lake shores and upper valleys are much easier by car.

Bergamo gives you more to browse. Via XX Settembre and the Sentierone have mid-range fashion under arcades, and the upper town's main lane has cheese, salumi and Valcalepio wine to take home.

Zermatt has a single street of watch boutiques, souvenirs and outdoor outfitters. The outfitters are worth a visit if you need mountain gear, but that is all there is.

Bergamo is comfortable rather than cheap, but it is good value for northern Italy. Lower-town hotels and trattorias are fairly priced, and the funicular and buses cost little.

Zermatt is among the most expensive places in the Alps. Rooms, a terrace lunch and the lifts you need every day all add up quickly. Staying down the valley in Täsch and self-catering soften the cost but do not change it.

Bergamo has a real stage culture as Donizetti's home town. The Teatro Donizetti runs a season of opera and concerts and an autumn festival of his works, Bergamo Jazz has a long history, and La Scala is an evening's trip away.

Zermatt has no theatre or concert hall. Live music comes mainly from Zermatt Unplugged in spring and a late-summer chamber music festival in the church, so outside those weeks the evening centres on dinner.

Relaxing in Bergamo usually means a short trip out to a historic spa town. The Belle Époque thermal spa at San Pellegrino Terme is about forty minutes up Val Brembana, and the sulphur springs at Trescore Balneario have been in use since Roman times. Back in the city, the upper town is quiet early and late, and a slow walk along the walls is restful.

Zermatt keeps its relaxation inside the village. It has a dense cluster of excellent hotel spas with pools, saunas and mountain views, and a few of them sell day access to visitors. The car-free streets and clear air help, but in peak weeks the mood is active rather than slow.