Como or Taormina?

This is the widest gap between the two. Como offers lake swimming from lidos with lawns and pontoons, such as the one by Villa Olmo, plus pebble jetties up the lake, in water that peaks around 23°C for a short summer season.

Taormina has the real sea: glassy, snorkel-friendly coves at Mazzarò and Isola Bella, longer sand and shingle at Giardini Naxos and Letojanni, and swimming from June to October. Its beaches are narrow and crowded in August, but a beach vacation is possible here in a way it is not on the lake.

Como cooks from the lake and the mountains: perch risotto, sun-dried shad, polenta with game, and a reliable aperitivo ritual around the cathedral squares. The choice is that of a small provincial city, and the lakefront terraces trade on the view.

Taormina comes out ahead on flavour and identity. Pasta alla Norma, raw red prawns, cannoli, granita with brioche and Etna's Nerello Mascalese reds give every meal a sense of place, and there is a serious upper tier of Sicilian cooking. Both towns suffer from tourist menus on the main drag, so the side streets matter in each.

Como offers more to look at closely. The marble cathedral, the Romanesque San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, Terragni's Rationalist Casa del Fascio, the Volta museum and the silk museum make a varied, high-quality day across several periods.

Taormina's culture is one great monument and a pretty street. The Greek theatre, framing Etna and the coast, is more memorable than anything in Como, but beyond it the Corso's palazzi and Duomo are a short list, with no major museum.

Both are quiet towns after dinner, and neither has a club scene. Como's evenings are an aperitivo, a meal and a lakefront stroll, with a few wine and cocktail bars near the Duomo and young locals heading to Milan for anything bigger.

Taormina keeps going a little longer, at least in summer: piano bars over the sea, lounge bars and beach clubs at Mazzarò and Giardini Naxos, and a lively August, though the crowd is mostly couples.

Both have superb landscapes on the doorstep, but of very different kinds. Como is about a glacial lake between steep wooded mountains: the funicular to Brunate, ridge trails to the Volta lighthouse, the Greenway between villages, paddling and sailing, and the cyclists' climb to Madonna del Ghisallo.

Taormina is volcanic and coastal. Etna's lava flows, craters and winter ski slopes are within an hour, the basalt Alcantara gorges are closer, and the marine reserve at Isola Bella adds diving and snorkelling. Spring and autumn are the walking seasons in both.

Como is the stronger base, and the main reason is how much lies within easy reach. Ferries reach Bellagio, Varenna and the gardens of Villa Carlotta and Balbianello, while trains put Milan about forty minutes away and Lugano half an hour, with Bergamo, Lake Maggiore and the Certosa di Pavia also manageable.

Taormina's day trips are excellent but further apart. Catania is an hour away, while Syracuse and Ortigia take two hours, and the Val di Noto needs an early start. Closer in are the hill villages of Castelmola, Savoca and the Etna wine towns.

Neither town is built around children, and both work best as calm, safe stays. Como has the practical edge: a flat promenade and Villa Olmo's gardens for pushchairs, plus boat rides and the funicular that children enjoy.

Taormina offers more adventure for school-age children, with snorkelling and Etna's craters, but its steep steps and crowded pebble coves are hard with toddlers, which is why many families stay in Giardini Naxos.

Como is the easier town to move around. The old town and lakefront are flat and compact, the funicular handles the hill, and two stations give fast links to Milan and Switzerland, though lake ferries are slow and the shore roads clog in summer.

Taormina's pedestrian centre is small too, but stairways and steep lanes come with every outing, and its station is down by the sea. Etna and the inland villages realistically need a tour or a hired car.

Both are modest shopping towns, distinguished by one local speciality each. Como's is silk, with scarves, ties and fabric from old-town specialists and the mill outlets, and Milan close for serious fashion. Taormina's single street sells coral, cameos, lace, Caltagirone majolica and pistachio sweets, much of it aimed at visitors, with Catania for anything bigger.

Both are expensive by the standards of their regions, driven by luxury lakeside and sea-view hotels and pricey main-street dining. The ways to save differ: in Como, sleep back from the water and use the cheap trains and ferries; in Taormina, stay in Giardini Naxos or Letojanni and come up for the evening. Both are noticeably kinder in spring and autumn.

The two are evenly matched in modest programmes but differ in character. Como has a proper opera house, the Teatro Sociale, with a season through the year, a summer open-air Arena and chamber music in churches and villas, plus La Scala a train ride away.

Taormina's moment is summer in the Greek theatre, where opera, ballet and international pop and rock play with Etna behind the stage. Out of season it goes quiet, and Catania's Teatro Massimo Bellini fills the gap.

Neither has a thermal or public bathing tradition, so pampering means hotel spas in both. Como's restorative pull is still water, villa gardens and slow ferry rides, while Taormina offers terrace pools above the sea, volcanic-mud treatments and evenings watching Etna change colour. Each is calmest outside midsummer, and Taormina's Corso in August is the busier of the two.