Como or Lucca?

Neither city sits on a beach, but Lucca gets you much closer to a proper one. Viareggio is under half an hour away by train, and from there wide sandy beaches with gently shelving water run up to Forte dei Marmi, with wilder pine-backed dunes at the Lecciona.

Como's swimming is in the lake: lawns and pontoons at the lido by Villa Olmo, or small pebble strands up the shore at Moltrasio and the Tremezzina. The water is cooler and the season shorter, so it is a refreshing dip rather than a day stretched out on the sand.

Both are provincial kitchens with a narrow range, but Lucca eats better and more fairly. Its farro soups, tordelli in ragù, chestnut dishes, cecina from bakery counters and local olive oil and wines give real character to the trattorias inside the walls.

Como's lake-and-mountain cooking, with perch risotto, missoltini and polenta, is worth seeking out, yet the lakefront terraces often charge for the view. The better meals there are usually up the lake or in the hills, so eating well takes a little more effort.

Lucca offers more to see in town. Its intact Renaissance walls ring a medieval grid of towers and churches, with the carved façade of San Michele in Foro, San Frediano's mosaic, the cathedral's Ilaria del Carretto tomb and the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, enough for two unhurried days.

Como's old town is smaller and seen in a day, but it has its own strengths: the marble cathedral, the Romanesque masonry of Sant'Abbondio, and Terragni's Casa del Fascio, which interests anyone keen on modern architecture as much as on medieval churches.

Both are early-night towns where the evening is aperitivo, dinner and a stroll, Como along the lakefront and Lucca along the walls and Via Fillungo. The difference is where the big nights go: from Como people take the train to Milan, while from Lucca the summer dancing is at the Versilia beach clubs, a late drive or taxi away.

Como has the more dramatic setting right on the doorstep. Steep wooded mountains drop into the glacial lake, the old funicular lifts you to Brunate and the ridge to the Volta lighthouse, and the water adds kayaking, sailing and paddling, all without needing a car.

Lucca's immediate surroundings are gentler, with olive groves, villa gardens and the cycle ring of the walls. Its wilder country, the marble peaks of the Apuan Alps and the Garfagnana forests, lies about an hour away, so serious hiking means a drive.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is in the type of outing. From Como the classic days are on the water, ferries to Bellagio, Varenna and the gardens of Villa Carlotta and Balbianello, with Milan, Lugano and Bergamo by train for city days.

From Lucca the trips are by rail and road across Tuscany: Pisa in half an hour, Florence in a little over an hour, the villas at Marlia and Collodi, Pietrasanta's sculptors and the Versilia coast, with the Cinque Terre possible after an early start.

Lucca is the easier choice with children. A bike or quadricycle ride on the walls, the trees on top of the Torre Guinigi, the Pinocchio Park at Collodi and the sandy beaches all lie within a short distance of a small, car-free centre.

Como's family pleasures are the boats, the funicular and lido paddling, which charm younger children, but the villas and churches beyond them are aimed at adults. It works best for families happy with slow, outdoor days.

Lucca is the simpler place to move around. Inside the walls nearly everything is closed to traffic and flat, bikes are the local transport, and the station just outside the walls has frequent trains to Pisa, Florence and the coast. Only the villages and Garfagnana really call for a car.

Como's centre is just as walkable, but the lake slows everything else. Slow ferries take a long time to reach the upper villages, and the narrow shore roads jam in summer, so travel beyond the town takes more patience.

Shopping is small-scale in both, so the difference is in what each is known for. Como's speciality is silk, with scarves and ties from old-town specialists and mill outlets on the edge of town. Lucca's is food and antiques: delicatessens selling oil, farro and buccellato, and the monthly antiques market around the cathedral. Serious fashion buyers from Como head to Milan.

Lucca is the clearly cheaper stay. It costs about what central Italy usually costs, with free walls and churches, fair trattorias and inexpensive trains, and staying just outside the walls stretches the budget further.

Como's international luxury crowd pushes lakeside hotels and villa rentals well above that in summer. You can soften the bill by sleeping back from the water, eating in old-town trattorias and travelling in spring or autumn, and the ferries and trains themselves are cheap.

Lucca has the richer musical life, thanks to Puccini. Recitals of his arias run most of the year, so even a short stay can include opera, and the Teatro del Giglio, the summer star concerts in Piazza Napoleone and open-air opera by the lake at Torre del Lago add plenty more.

Como's Teatro Sociale and its summer Arena give a solid provincial season, and chamber music in lakeside villas has its own charm. On many nights, though, the stage is dark and the serious programme is at La Scala in Milan.

Lucca has the edge for a restful stay, partly because real spas are within reach. Montecatini Terme, the cave pools at Monsummano and the steam grottoes of Bagni di Lucca make easy spa days out, while the traffic-free streets set a gentle pace at home.

Como has no thermal tradition, so pampering means the spas of the grand villa hotels. Its calm comes instead from the lake itself, slow ferries and quiet villages, which feel best outside the busy midsummer weeks.