Bologna or Milan?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Bologna is better placed for a day by the sea. The Romagna Riviera at Rimini is about an hour away by train, with a shallow, warm Adriatic and long rows of organised lidos. It works well as an escape on a hot August day, even if the water is rarely clear.

Milan has no sea within easy reach. Its swimming means the Idroscalo basin, the city's open-air pools or a train to the pebbly lidos of the lakes, where the water is a little cooler. The Ligurian coast is too far for an afternoon.

Both cities eat very well, but in different ways. Bologna offers depth: this is where ragù, tortellini in brodo and mortadella come from, served in old osterie and sold in the market lanes of the Quadrilatero, with Parma and Modena close by.

Milan offers range. Saffron risotto and cotoletta sit alongside good cooking from every Italian region and a serious fine-dining scene. Bologna is thin once you step outside Emilian food, while Milan's cheaper places near the Duomo can be ordinary.

The two are well matched, but the experience is different. In Bologna the sight is the town itself: a whole medieval centre of red brick, with porticoes, the Two Towers and the seven churches of Santo Stefano. It rewards two or three days of unhurried walking.

Milan puts its weight on a few masterpieces: the Last Supper (book well ahead), the Duomo's rooftop among the spires, the Brera gallery and Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà. Between these clusters the city is modern and businesslike.

Milan has more to offer after dark, and it is dressier. Aperitivo on the Navigli spills out onto the towpaths, Porta Venezia is the centre of the gay scene, and the clubs range from smart venues around Corso Como with strict doors to warehouse nights on the edge of town.

Bologna's nights are cheaper and more casual, led by students crowding outside the bars around Piazza Verdi and the taverns of Via del Pratello. For proper clubbing you need a taxi out of the centre. Both cities go quiet in August.

Milan wins on scenery, though you have to take a train to reach it. Within an hour are the steep, wooded shores of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, with ferries, sailing and lakeside paths. The Prealps above them offer real hiking and via ferrata, while the city itself sits on a flat, hazy plain.

Bologna's countryside is gentler but closer. You can walk from the centre into the hills, up the arcades to San Luca, through the gypsum caves of the Parco dei Gessi, or set off on the Via degli Dei, a trail of several days over the Apennines to Florence.

Both are outstanding rail bases, and the choice comes down to what you want to see. From Bologna the trips are art and food: Florence in about half an hour, the mosaics of Ravenna, Renaissance Ferrara, and Modena and Parma along the Via Emilia.

From Milan they turn towards lakes and mountains: the villages of Lake Como, the Borromean Islands, Bergamo's upper town and Lugano across the Swiss border, plus Turin and the Certosa di Pavia. Verona, Mantua and Parma are within reach of either city.

Neither city is built around children, but Milan has a little more for them. The science and technology museum with its submarine, the civic aquarium and the playgrounds of Parco Sempione help on a rainy day, and Leolandia is under an hour away.

Bologna's appeal is ease: a flat, mostly car-free centre with shade under the arches, and a tower to climb for older children. Families usually add Mirabilandia or the beach at Rimini. Summer heat is hard on small children in both cities.

Both are easy to get around, though in different ways. Bologna has no metro and doesn't need one: the old town is small enough to walk, mostly under cover, and the station on its edge connects to the whole north.

Milan is larger, so its five metro lines and its old orange trams do the work, and contactless cards make them simple to use. Its weak point is the long transfer from Malpensa, while Bologna's airport shuttle takes you straight to the central station.

Milan is one of the world's fashion capitals, and shopping can be the whole point of a visit. The great Italian houses have their flagships around Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, La Rinascente stands beside the Duomo, and design showrooms, Brera boutiques and the Navigli antique markets add variety.

Bologna's shopping is mostly edible: Parmigiano, balsamic vinegar and tortellini from the Quadrilatero delis. Its fashion cluster around the Galleria Cavour is refined but small, so plan on browsing rather than a dedicated shopping trip.

Bologna is noticeably easier on the wallet. Trattoria meals, wine by the glass and aperitivo with food cost less than in Milan, most sights are free churches and squares, and you rarely need transport.

Milan is Italy's most expensive city, with costly hotels and pricey drinks in Brera. Office-worker lunch menus and aperitivo as a light supper help, as does staying near a metro stop outside the centre. In both cities, rooms become scarce and costly during the big trade fairs.

Milan is the place for a night of opera or theatre. La Scala is one of the most famous opera houses in the world, and gallery seats put it within reach. The Piccolo Teatro, a fine symphony orchestra and big stadium concerts at San Siro fill out the calendar.

Bologna's scene is smaller but has character. It has the historic Teatro Comunale, a long jazz tradition in basement clubs and recognition from UNESCO as a City of Music. In summer, when Milan's opera season slows, Bologna fills Piazza Maggiore with outdoor concerts and film screenings.

Neither city is somewhere to go purely to rest. Bologna's version of wellness is a long lunch under the porticoes, with thermal pools at Castel San Pietro Terme twenty minutes away and the old spa town of Porretta Terme in the Apennines.

Milan has a thermal spa complex inside the city and the 1930s open-air pools of the Bagni Misteriosi for a summer afternoon. For real calm, though, most visitors head to the villas and shores of the lakes.