Lecce or Portofino?

Lecce has the better beaches, though they are a drive away. Within about forty minutes you can reach the pale coves and sea stacks of Torre dell'Orso on the Adriatic, or the long, shallow sands of Porto Cesareo on the Ionian, so you can choose a coast to suit the wind.

Portofino has no beach of its own. You swim off rock ledges in deep, clear water near the lighthouse, or at Paraggi, where paid clubs take most of the small bay. The pebble cove at San Fruttuoso is lovely by boat, but every spot here is small and fills up quickly in summer.

Lecce is the place for eating. Its food is unusual even within Italy: pasticciotto and iced almond-milk coffee for breakfast, ciceri e tria and fava purée with chicory at dinner, Negroamaro in the glass. Simple osterie in the old town cost little, though there is not much beyond Apulian cooking.

Portofino offers Ligurian classics such as trofie al pesto and Recco's cheese focaccia. The harbour terraces charge for the view of the yachts more than for the cooking, so many keen eaters head to Camogli or the hill trattorie instead.

In culture the two are far apart. Lecce's old town is a complete Baroque townscape in honey-coloured stone, from the carved front of Santa Croce to the enclosed Piazza del Duomo, with a Roman amphitheatre underneath the main square and Messapian layers below the streets. It rewards several days of slow walking.

Portofino's main sight is its own harbour view of painted houses. Castello Brown, San Giorgio and the abbey at San Fruttuoso fill a pleasant day, and there are no museums of any size.

Neither is a reason to travel for nightlife, but Lecce gives you a proper evening out. After the passeggiata come wine bars and small cocktail bars in the lanes, and students keep weekends going late. In summer the dancing moves to the beach clubs near Gallipoli.

Portofino's night is a smart aperitivo facing the yachts and a long dinner. After that the village goes quiet, and anyone wanting more heads to Santa Margherita or Genoa.

Portofino is the stronger choice for the outdoors. The whole headland is a regional park, with trails through holm oak and pine to the Semaforo Nuovo viewpoint and down cliff paths, some fitted with chains, to San Fruttuoso. Below the water, the marine reserve offers red coral, seagrass meadows and the Christ of the Abyss statue for divers.

Lecce's countryside is a flat plain of olive groves, better for cycling than hiking. Its wild side is the coast: cliffs and sea caves between Roca Vecchia and Leuca, and birdwatching at Le Cesine and the Alimini lakes.

Both make good bases, and Portofino is slightly ahead because its outings are so easy. Boats and short train rides reach Camogli, Rapallo and Sestri Levante, Genoa's palaces and old port are less than an hour away, and summer ferries go to the Cinque Terre and Portovenere.

Lecce's day trips cover a wider area. There are Otranto's cathedral mosaic, Gallipoli on its island, Galatina's frescoes, and further north Ostuni and the trulli of Alberobello. Most of these need a car, however.

Lecce is the easier choice with children. The old town is mostly free of traffic, the piazzas fill with families in the evening, and the shallow sand at Porto Cesareo is ideal for toddlers, though there are no dedicated attractions and the summer midday heat means a long rest.

Portofino is safe, but it is built for adults. Steep steps defeat pushchairs and the sand at Paraggi is mostly behind beach-club fees. Families usually stay in Rapallo or Santa Margherita and visit Genoa's aquarium.

The two are much alike here, and the difference is the terrain. Lecce's centre is flat and partly pedestrian, with the station at its edge, but the Salento's slow local trains mean most visitors hire a car for the coast.

In Portofino a car is more burden than help. One narrow road and very little parking link it to Santa Margherita. The bus and the spring-to-autumn ferries do the work, and the climb to the castle and lighthouse is steep.

Neither is a shopping destination, and what you find differs in kind. Lecce sells things made locally: cartapesta saints and nativity figures from old-town workshops, small limestone carvings and Grottaglie ceramics, plus oil and taralli.

Portofino's few lanes hold, surprisingly, boutiques from big fashion and jewellery houses alongside resort wear and Ligurian lace. It takes under an hour to see the lot.

Lecce is much cheaper. Eating, drinking and staying in an old palazzo are fairly priced for most of the year. The exception is August, when Italian vacationers fill the Salento and rooms, loungers and car hire all cost more.

Portofino is among the most expensive places to stay in Italy. Its handful of luxury hotels, the piazzetta restaurants, the Paraggi loungers and the parking all charge heavily. Only the trails and buses come cheap, which is why many visitors sleep in Camogli or Rapallo and come over for the day.

Lecce has a modest but real stage life. The Politeama Greco and the historic Teatro Paisiello put on opera, concerts and theatre. In summer, pizzica tambourine dancing fills village festivals and peaks at the Notte della Taranta in Melpignano.

Portofino has almost nothing beyond an occasional summer concert in the piazzetta. For an evening of opera you go to Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice.

The two are about level, and the calm comes from different places. Around Lecce you can bathe in the sulphur grottoes of Santa Cesarea Terme above the sea or stay at a masseria turned spa, and the long afternoon closure slows everyone down.

Portofino's spas are inside its hillside luxury hotels. The real rest comes from shaded paths and quiet early mornings, since tour-boat crowds fill the harbour at midday in high summer.