Como or La Spezia?

Neither city has a beach in town, but La Spezia is much closer to proper sea swimming. From the gulf you can reach the sheltered sand-and-pebble strips at Lerici and San Terenzo, the clear rocky water off Palmaria and Portovenere, and Monterosso's long sandy beach a short train ride up the coast. The sea stays warm into early October, though many beaches are small and much of the shore is paid bathing establishments.

Como means a lake dip. You swim from lawns and pontoons at lidos such as the one by Villa Olmo, or from small pebble jetties further up the lake. The water is cooler, the season is short and there is almost no sand, so swimming is a pleasant extra rather than a reason to come.

La Spezia eats better, and more cheaply day to day. Farinata from wood ovens, early-opening focaccia shops, mussels farmed off Portovenere, pesto on trofie and testaroli, and the covered market on Piazza Cavour give it an everyday food culture, backed by Cinque Terre whites and Sciacchetrà.

Como's Lombard cooking is heartier and more seasonal: perch risotto, missoltini, polenta with cheese or game. The aperitivo around the cathedral squares is pleasant, but lakefront terraces charge for the view, and the best meals tend to be in family places up the lake or in the hills.

Como has the stronger old centre. Its marble cathedral, the Romanesque churches of San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, and Terragni's Rationalist Casa del Fascio give a small walled town real architectural weight, and the Tempio Voltiano and the silk museum add local history.

La Spezia is a nineteenth-century naval town of arcaded streets and Liberty facades rather than a medieval core. The Museo Amedeo Lia's early Italian paintings and the Lunigiana stele statues in Castello San Giorgio are worth a visit, but most of the region's history is out along the coast, in places such as Portovenere and Sarzana.

Both towns go quiet early, and an evening in either means an aperitivo and dinner. La Spezia has a little more going on: Via del Prione and Piazza Verdi fill up over spritz, the summer crowd moves to the waterfront bars at Lerici and San Terenzo, and there is the odd club night. Como has a few wine and cocktail bars around Piazza Duomo and a lakefront stroll, and anyone wanting a late night takes the train to Milan.

Both are superb for the outdoors, but the landscapes are of different kinds. Como is lake and mountain: the funicular climbs to Brunate for ridge walks to the Volta lighthouse, Monte Bisbino looks towards the Alps, and road cyclists ride up to the Madonna del Ghisallo.

La Spezia is cliff and sea. The terraced vineyards and footpaths of the Cinque Terre national park, the Palmaria loop and diving in the gulf are close by, with the marble peaks of the Apuan Alps about an hour inland. In both places spring and autumn are better for walking than the summer.

The two lists are equally long, but they go in different directions. From Como you take ferries to Bellagio, Varenna and the gardens of Villa Carlotta and Balbianello, or trains to Milan, Lugano and Bergamo, so big cities and a border crossing are part of the mix. From La Spezia the coastal train runs straight into the Cinque Terre villages and boats go to Portovenere, while Pisa, Lucca and Carrara make it a seaside base with Tuscany close at hand.

The two differ less in how easy they are with children than in what the children will enjoy. In Como the treats are the funicular, the ferries and paddling at a lido. La Spezia offers shallow, sheltered sea beaches and boat trips round the islands, but the steep villages and crowded summer trains suit older children better than toddlers. Both towns are calm and safe, and neither has a zoo, aquarium or theme park nearby.

Both centres are flat and easy to walk, so the difference lies in the wider area. La Spezia is a rail hub: frequent coastal trains reach the Cinque Terre in minutes, with buses and seasonal ferries round the gulf, although those trains are packed in summer. Around Como, the trains to Milan and Lugano are quick, but getting up the lake by slow ferry or along narrow, congested shore roads takes much longer.

Como has the more distinctive shopping, because of its silk. Scarves, ties and fabric from old-town specialists and the mill outlets on the city's edge make worthwhile purchases, and Via Vittorio Emanuele II has a few Italian boutiques. La Spezia's Via del Prione and Corso Cavour are mostly chains and everyday shops, and the best things to take home are edible: pesto, olive oil, anchovies and Sciacchetrà.

La Spezia is clearly the easier place on a budget. Rooms in town cost much less than in the Cinque Terre villages, and street food and simple trattorias are fair value, although trail passes, boat trips and bathing establishments add up over a stay.

Como draws an international luxury crowd. Lakeside hotels, villa rentals and waterfront restaurants are expensive in summer, so the savings come from staying back from the water, eating in the old town or the hills, and travelling in spring or autumn.

Como has a slight edge, mainly because it has opera. The neoclassical Teatro Sociale stages opera, ballet and concerts, with summer performances in the open-air Arena next door and chamber music in churches and lakeside villas. La Spezia's Teatro Civico focuses on drama and touring shows, and its highlights are the summer jazz festival and concerts in castle courtyards. For opera you would go to Genoa or Pisa. In both cities, the evenings outside the season are quiet.

Neither has a bathing tradition, but Como is the better choice for a restful stay. The spas of its grand lakeside villa hotels, gardens on the water and slow ferry rides set an unhurried pace. La Spezia offers hotel spas, the small thermal baths at Equi Terme an hour inland, and quiet off-season days on Palmaria or in Tellaro, but the summer crowds on the coast work against relaxation.