Capri or Dolomites?

For swimming, Capri wins easily, though it is not a sand destination. You swim from pebble coves at Marina Piccola, from rock platforms with ladders, or off a boat near the grottoes, in water clear and warm enough from June into early October.

The Dolomites have nothing like this. The famous high lakes such as Braies are for rowing and photographs. Real bathing means valley lidos and pools, with Lake Caldaro on the wine route the warmest option.

The Dolomites eat better and more variedly. Alpine and Italian cooking meet here: speck, canederli and strudel, then an espresso, with Ladin and Trentino dishes on top. Lunch on a hut terrace after a morning's walk, Lagrein and Gewürztraminer from the slopes below Bolzano, and the ambitious kitchens of Alta Badia give you plenty to plan meals around.

Capri has a few dishes of its own, such as insalata caprese, ravioli capresi and torta caprese. Around the Piazzetta, though, menus are aimed at day-trippers. The good meals are in family trattorias in Anacapri, and after a few days there is little left to discover.

The Dolomites offer somewhat more, spread across the valley towns. Bolzano has its arcades and Ötzi the Iceman, Trento has the frescoed Castello del Buonconsiglio, and Bressanone has its cathedral and cloister. There are also First World War tunnels on the high passes. Seeing it all takes driving, and most people treat it as bad-weather days.

Capri's sights are fewer but close together. Tiberius's Villa Jovis sits on its headland, Villa San Michele in Anacapri, and the Certosa di San Giacomo below the town, all within two easy days.

Neither place is for a party, but Capri has more of an evening. Once the last ferry leaves, the Piazzetta fills with a dressed-up aperitivo crowd, and the piano taverns keep Neapolitan songs going late in summer. It is glamorous and expensive, and there are no clubs.

In the Dolomites, going out mostly means winter après-ski in Selva, Canazei or Cortina, which ends by early evening. In summer the villages go quiet well before midnight.

The Dolomites are on another level. Pale limestone towers such as the Tre Cime and Sassolungo rise above green meadows, and lifts, via ferrata cables and routes such as the Alta Via 1 open them up for weeks. In winter the Dolomiti Superski network links a dozen valleys.

Capri's scenery is famous in its own right: the Faraglioni, the Arco Naturale, the chairlift up Monte Solaro and the Sentiero dei Fortini along the wild western coast. Snorkelling and kayaking add the sea, but the island is small enough to see in a few days.

Both make excellent bases for outings, but you travel by boat from one and by road or rail from the other. From Capri the ferries reach Sorrento, Naples, Positano, Amalfi and Ischia, and Pompeii is a long day away. Rough seas can cancel any of these.

From the Dolomites, Bolzano puts Merano, Trento and the wine route within an hour, with Verona, the north end of Lake Garda and Innsbruck further off. From the high villages, every trip starts on slow pass roads.

For children the Dolomites are much better. Families can walk the wide, almost flat paths of the Alpe di Siusi and the Armentara meadows, and they get huts with playgrounds and farm animals, summer toboggan runs and well-run ski schools. Rainy days are the weak point, with no zoos or theme parks to fall back on.

Capri has nothing made for children. Its steps, packed buses and deep-water swimming suit only older children who swim well, and they will enjoy the Blue Grotto and the chairlift.

Both are manageable without a car, as long as you stay put. Capri is tiny: the funicular from Marina Grande, the small orange buses and open taxis cover everything. The difficulties are steep walking and summer queues.

The Dolomites cover a far larger area. Valley trains and buses on one regional pass work well, and lifts take over once you are in a village. Moving between valleys over slow hairpin passes is why most visitors hire a car.

Capri is the stronger shopping stop, at least for fashion. Via Camerelle and the lanes off the Piazzetta pack in luxury boutiques. The island's own crafts include sandals made by hand while you wait, linen, ceramics and local perfumes.

The Dolomites lean towards craft and food. You will find wood carving in Ortisei, loden and delicatessens under Bolzano's arcades, and some of the best-known Advent markets in the Alps. Most visitors go home with speck, cheese and wine.

Neither is cheap, but the Dolomites are easier on the budget. You can stay in the Fassa or Fiemme valleys or in Bolzano and Trento, travel in June or September, and use half board to keep costs down. Cortina and Alta Badia are the expensive exceptions.

Capri is among the costliest places in Italy, from rooms and sunbeds to boat trips and a drink on the Piazzetta. Cheap buses, free walks and Anacapri bakeries help. Staying in Sorrento saves money but means missing the island's evenings.

The Dolomites have more to offer, though it is still modest. Bolzano and Trento have year-round orchestral and theatre programmes, and Bolzano hosts a long-standing piano competition. In summer there are concerts on alpine meadows, jazz in castles and wineries, and Merano holds an autumn festival in its old spa halls.

On Capri, live music is limited to the occasional summer concert in the Certosa cloisters or at Villa San Michele, plus the late-night songs in the taverns. For opera you take the boat to Naples.

The Dolomites are the better place to unwind properly. South Tyrol's hotels build their stays around saunas facing rock walls and heated outdoor pools. The hay bath is still offered around Völs am Schlern, and Merano's public thermal baths sit beside the river promenade.

Capri has no bathing tradition of its own, only hotel spas, and its calm comes early and late in the day, when the day-trippers have gone. For thermal water, people take the boat across to Ischia.