Bologna or Sorrento?

Sorrento is clearly the place for swimming. Its lidos stand on piers over clear, deep water at Marina Piccola and Marina Grande, the rocky inlet of the Bagni della Regina Giovanna is a short walk away, and boats run to the coves of Capri. You get in by ladder or off the rocks rather than from sand, and space is tight in high summer.

Bologna is inland, so the sea means a day out. Rimini is about an hour away by train, where the Adriatic is shallow and warm but often green, and the shore is lined with rows of rented umbrellas.

Both cities cook regional Italian food where it comes from, but Bologna gives you more reason to travel for it. Fresh pasta, mortadella and ragù are its own, the lanes of the Quadrilatero still work as a food market, and Parma ham and Parmigiano come from towns close by.

Sorrento has gnocchi alla sorrentina, fish at Marina Grande, lemons in almost everything and fresh cheese from the hill dairies. The centre leans towards menus for tour groups, though, so the best meals take some finding in the back lanes and the hill villages.

Here Bologna is far ahead. Its red-brick centre is one of the most complete medieval cities in Italy, with the UNESCO-listed porticoes, Piazza Maggiore, the Two Towers, Santo Stefano and the old university buildings. That is enough for two or three full days.

Sorrento's own sights, mainly the cathedral, the cloister of San Francesco and the Museo Correale, fill a gentle day. The area's great history lies outside the town.

Bologna's students give it a real night out. Crowds gather outside the cheap bars of Piazza Verdi, the taverns along Via del Pratello stay open late, and wine bars follow the aperitivo. It is informal, though, and it empties in August.

In Sorrento an evening means a stroll along Corso Italia and a drink on a terrace over the bay, with piano bars and a club or two in summer. The last trains and ferries leave early, so for a proper night in Naples or on Capri you have to stay over.

Sorrento has by far the more striking landscape. Behind the town a limestone ridge of lemon and olive terraces drops to the sea, trails lead to Punta Campanella and Ieranto, Monte Faito and the Path of the Gods are nearby, and Vesuvius stands across the bay. Boat and kayak trips let you see the coast from the water.

Bologna's countryside is gentler: the walk up to San Luca, the Colli Bolognesi and the gypsum caves of the Parco dei Gessi. Its standout is the Via degli Dei, a walk of several days over the Apennines to Florence.

Both are excellent bases, but for very different outings. From Bologna, fast and regional trains reach a string of art cities: Florence in about half an hour, Ravenna's mosaics, Ferrara, Modena and Parma, with Venice and Verona further along the line.

From Sorrento the outings are ancient sites and the sea: Pompeii and Herculaneum on the Circumvesuviana, Capri by ferry, Positano and Amalfi by boat in summer, and Naples within an hour. Choose Bologna for cities and paintings, Sorrento for ruins and islands.

Neither city is built around children, but Bologna is the easier of the two. Its centre is flat and largely free of traffic, the porticoes give shade, and the Mirabilandia theme park and the shallow water at Rimini are within reach for a day.

Children often love Sorrento's boat trips and Pompeii. The swimming, though, is in deep water off piers and rocks, and many hotels sit on steep lanes with no pavements, so with small children a hotel pool matters.

Both centres are small, flat and easy to walk, and neither is a place for a car. The difference comes when you leave town. Bologna's station is at the edge of the old town with fast trains in every direction, and the porticoes keep walking pleasant in sun or rain.

From Sorrento the Circumvesuviana train is crowded and prone to delays, and the Amalfi buses crawl round the hairpins in summer. Ferries are often the most comfortable option, and hotels up in the hills rely on shuttles or taxis.

Bologna offers more variety. There is food to take home from the Quadrilatero delicatessens, high-street chains on Via dell'Indipendenza, a small cluster of luxury fashion around the Galleria Cavour, and markets and vintage shops in the university quarter.

Sorrento's shops sell mostly lemon-themed souvenirs, but it has some real local crafts: intarsia woodwork, sandals made to measure, linen and cameos. For fashion, people go to Naples or Capri.

Bologna is easier on the budget. Its trattorias and aperitivo cost less than in Italy's main tourist cities, most sights are churches and squares that are free to enter, and you can walk almost everywhere. Rooms are the expensive part, especially during the big trade fairs.

In summer Sorrento charges resort rates for sea-view rooms, lidos and boat trips. Trains, buses and pizza in the back lanes are fairly priced, and hotel rates drop a lot in spring and late autumn.

Bologna has a real music scene. The historic Teatro Comunale stages opera, ballet and concerts, the city holds the UNESCO title of City of Music, there are basement jazz clubs and student gigs, and in summer Piazza Maggiore fills with concerts and outdoor film screenings.

Sorrento has shows of Neapolitan song and tarantella put on for visitors, and chamber concerts in the San Francesco cloister in summer. For opera you go to the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, about an hour away.

Sorrento is a little better for unwinding. It has clifftop hotel spas and pools over the bay and the calm of villa gardens and lemon groves, and the thermal gardens of Ischia are a ferry ride away. It is most restful in spring and autumn, when the centre is quieter.

In Bologna, relaxing means a long lunch under the arcades or a hotel spa. The spring-fed pools of Castel San Pietro Terme and the old spa town of Porretta Terme are close, but the noisy university quarter and the heavy summer heat make the city less restful.