Catania or Syracuse, Sicily?

Syracuse has the better swimming. On Ortigia you can climb down from the sea walls into clear water with the old town behind you. South of the city there are sandy family bays at Arenella and Fontane Bianche, and further on is the pale, undeveloped sand of Vendicari.

Catania has two kinds of shore: La Playa, a long and crowded sandy strip of beach clubs, and the black lava platforms of Aci Castello and Aci Trezza, where you swim among the sea stacks. Both are fine, but neither matches Vendicari.

Catania is the better city for eating, especially on the street. Its offer includes cone-shaped arancini, fried crispelle, cipollina pastries, horse meat grilled on Via Plebiscito, and La Pescheria with its swordfish heads, plus the Etna reds and whites from the volcanic vineyards.

Syracuse eats well but in a narrower range. Its food is built around the Ortigia market, pasta with sea urchin or anchovies and breadcrumbs, and Nero d'Avola or sweet Moscato. Watch out for the piazza tables that trade on the view.

Syracuse has much more to see. It was a great Greek city, and you can still see that in the Doric columns inside the cathedral, the huge theatre and the Ear of Dionysius at the Neapolis, and the Paolo Orsi archaeological museum, one of Italy's finest. The Caravaggio and the catacombs add to that, and together they fill two or three full days.

Catania's appeal lies more in its streetscape. Lava-stone baroque runs along Via dei Crociferi and up to the vast monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena, with Roman fragments in between. Its museums are modest, but the Feast of Sant'Agata in February is a sight in its own right.

Catania is the clear choice for a night out. With a large student population, the lanes around Piazza Bellini and Via Gemmellaro stay full of people drinking outside long after midnight, and in summer the La Playa beach clubs become open-air dance floors.

In Syracuse, evenings mean an aperitivo on the sea walls and a drift between small bars on Ortigia. Most nights end early outside summer, and locals who want to go clubbing drive up to Catania.

Etna gives Catania the edge. A smoking volcano of about 3,300m is less than an hour away, with a cable car, crater walks, beech woods and winter skiing. The Alcantara Gorge and the Nebrodi forests are also within reach.

Syracuse's landscape is quieter but varied. Inland there are the green pools at Cavagrande and the rock-cut tombs of Pantalica, on the coast flamingos stop at Vendicari, and the Plemmirio marine reserve is good for snorkelling. You can also take a papyrus-lined boat trip up the Ciane river.

Both cities make excellent bases, and the difference is which direction you want to explore. Catania is better placed for Etna's wine villages, Acireale and Taormina, which is about an hour away.

Syracuse is closer to the baroque towns, with Noto about forty minutes away and Modica, Ragusa Ibla, Scicli and the fishing village of Marzamemi all close behind. The two cities are under an hour apart, so each makes an easy day trip from the other.

Neither city is built around children, and they work for families in different ways. Catania has more set-piece outings: Etnaland's water park, and a walk on old craters that suits older children. However, the city itself is hot, has heavy traffic and narrow pavements.

Syracuse is gentler day to day. Ortigia's lanes are largely free of cars, the sandy bays shelve gently, and the Ear of Dionysius and the papyrus boats appeal to children, though there is no theme park.

Both cities are easy on foot at their core and difficult beyond it. Catania's sights lie close together along Via Etnea, and it has a metro line, regional buses to the Etna refuge and the slow Circumetnea railway around the volcano, although traffic and parking are hard work.

Syracuse's walkable core is smaller: Ortigia takes about fifteen minutes to cross. Buses are infrequent, and Vendicari and the gorges really require a car.

Catania has a little more choice. Via Etnea is a long street of Italian fashion chains, La Fiera is a large daily market for clothes and household goods, and Bronte pistachio cream and Caltagirone ceramics are good to take home.

Syracuse's shopping is mostly on Ortigia and limited to crafts: linen, coral and silver jewellery, and papyrus paintings tied to the Ciane river. Corso Gelone has only ordinary high-street chains.

The two cost about the same, and in both the savings are in eating out while the expense is in rooms and cars. Catania's street food makes cheap meals easy, but Etna summit excursions and summer beach-club sunbeds add up.

In Syracuse the main cost is accommodation. Ortigia is in heavy demand from June to September, so staying on the mainland or coming outside the peak months makes a real difference.

Catania has a real evening programme. Bellini was born here, and the Teatro Massimo Bellini runs an opera and symphonic season that visitors can attend, alongside small companies performing the opera dei pupi.

Syracuse has one outstanding event: Greek tragedies and comedies performed in the ancient theatre each late spring and early summer, a tradition since 1914. Outside that season it has puppet theatres on Ortigia and little else.

Syracuse is the more restful place to stay, at least outside August. Calm days on Ortigia, walks along the sea walls and sunsets over the harbour make a slow stay easy, even though spas are limited to hotels and a few day spas.

Catania's centre is noisy and full of traffic. If rest matters most, stay in a quieter village on Etna's slopes rather than in town.