La Spezia or Syracuse, Sicily?

Syracuse is the better place for a beach vacation. On Ortigia you can swim off the rocks and wooden platforms right below the old town. South of the city there are sandy bays at Arenella and Fontane Bianche, and Vendicari, further south, has pale, undeveloped sand. The Ionian here is also a degree or so warmer in high summer.

La Spezia's own waterfront is a working port. Swimming means taking a bus or train to the sand and pebble at Lerici and San Terenzo, the rocky coves of Portovenere and Palmaria, or Monterosso. Much of that shore is taken up by paid bathing establishments.

Syracuse eats better. The Ortigia market gives you swordfish, sea urchins, capers and citrus, and it feeds into dishes like pasta with sardines and spaghetti alla siracusana. Mornings start with almond granita, and there are cannoli and Nero d'Avola to try as well.

La Spezia's Ligurian cooking is plainer: farinata from wood ovens, mesciua soup, pesto on trofie and the rope-grown mussels of Portovenere. It is reliable and fairly priced compared with the Cinque Terre villages, but the choice is that of a provincial port.

The two are far apart here. Syracuse was a major city of the Greek world, and it shows: the Neapolis park with its rock-cut theatre and the Ear of Dionysius, the Paolo Orsi museum, the catacombs, and the baroque lanes of Ortigia around the cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa.

La Spezia is a nineteenth-century naval town of arcaded streets and Liberty facades. It has rewarding small collections in the Museo Amedeo Lia and the Lunigiana stele statues in Castello San Giorgio. Its real heritage is spread along the coast rather than in the town itself.

Neither city is made for late nights, but La Spezia ends its evening sooner. Going out here mostly means the aperitivo hour on Via del Prione or around Piazza Verdi, and once dinner is over the centre empties. In summer the best evenings take place across the gulf at Lerici and San Terenzo rather than in town, so a night out ends with a bus ride back along the shore.

Syracuse keeps its evenings in the old town, and they last longer. Ortigia's piazzas, sea walls and lanes are where people drink and linger, and on a summer weekend the island is still awake long after La Spezia has gone quiet. That edge depends on the season, though. From November to March Ortigia also winds down early, and if you want to dance in either city you have to leave town: for the southern beach clubs in high summer, or for Catania the rest of the year.

La Spezia has the more striking landscape for walking. Terraced vines and olives drop to the sea along the Cinque Terre, the Sentiero Azzurro and the quieter ridge paths link the villages, and the marble peaks of the Apuan Alps are an hour inland. Palmaria and the Montemarcello promontory offer gentler walks close to town.

Syracuse has a different kind of countryside: limestone gorges with green pools at Cavagrande, rock-cut tombs along the Anapo valley, flamingos in the Vendicari lagoons and diving in the Plemmirio reserve. Etna is within reach for a day.

Both make excellent bases. The difference is the kind of trip and how you get there. From La Spezia the five Cinque Terre villages are minutes away by train. Portovenere, Lerici and walled Sarzana are close by, and Pisa and Lucca are about an hour's train ride, so a whole week of outings needs no car.

From Syracuse the trips are more about towns and monuments: Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla and Scicli in the Val di Noto, then Catania, Taormina and the Piazza Armerina mosaics further afield. These are mostly easier by car.

Syracuse works a little better with children, mainly because of its gently shelving sandy beaches and its compact, mostly car-free lanes on Ortigia. Granita, the echoing Ear of Dionysius and the puppet theatre give them something to look forward to. The catch is the heat in July and August.

La Spezia has a flat centre and calm water at San Terenzo and Lerici, and boat trips round the islands are a hit. But the region's steep villages, crowded summer trains and long walks suit older children much better than toddlers.

La Spezia is the easier place to manage without a car. The station, market, museums and seafront are all within a flat walk. Trains run through the Cinque Terre and on to Genoa and Pisa, and buses and ferries cover the gulf. The only real strain is crowded platforms in summer.

In Syracuse you can cross Ortigia on foot in a quarter of an hour, but beyond the island buses are sparse and confusing. Vendicari, the gorges and most of the baroque towns realistically need a hire car.

Neither is a shopping destination, but what you bring home differs. La Spezia offers high-street chains on Via del Prione and Corso Cavour, and its best take-home goods are edible: pesto, Cinque Terre wine and Sciacchetrà, with Carrara marble sold in nearby towns. Syracuse leans towards crafts, with hand-painted ceramics, coral jewellery and papyrus paintings in Ortigia's lanes, plus capers, almonds and pistachio from the market.

Syracuse is somewhat cheaper. Market sandwiches, arancini and trattoria meals with local wine cost noticeably less than in northern Italy. The exceptions are rooms on Ortigia in summer and the car hire you will probably need.

La Spezia saves money mainly by being a cheaper place to sleep than the Cinque Terre villages. Its trains are inexpensive, but trail passes, boat trips and paid beaches add up over a week.

Both have little on for most of the year, but the highlights are very different. Syracuse has one remarkable season: Greek tragedies and comedies staged in the ancient theatre in late spring and early summer. It also keeps the Sicilian puppet theatre alive. La Spezia offers a more conventional programme, with the Teatro Civico season, a long-running summer jazz festival and open-air concerts in castle courtyards around the gulf, though opera means going to Genoa or Pisa.

Syracuse is slightly better for a restful stay. It has a few day spas on Ortigia, and outside high summer the island's sea walls, long lunches and harbour sunsets set a slow pace. Its mild winters help too.

La Spezia has no spa culture of its own. Beyond hotel spas, the nearest thermal baths are at Equi Terme, an hour inland. Its quiet moments come from Palmaria and long lunches in Tellaro, out of season.