Milan or San Marino?

Neither is a beach town, but San Marino is much closer to the sea. Rimini and Riccione are about half an hour down the mountain, with long sandy beaches, rows of umbrellas and shallow water that suits small children. An afternoon on the Adriatic fits easily into a summer stay.

Milan is landlocked. A summer swim there means the Idroscalo basin, a public pool, or a train of about an hour to the pebbly lidos of Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. The Ligurian coast is roughly two hours away, too far for a casual swim.

Milan eats far better. Saffron risotto, ossobuco and cotoletta anchor a rich, buttery northern cuisine. Because the city draws people from all over Italy, you can also find good Neapolitan pizza, Sicilian pastry and real fine dining, with the aperitivo ritual in the Navigli, Brera and Isola around it all.

San Marino serves honest Romagna cooking: piadina, passatelli and hand-rolled pasta, with the republic's own Sangiovese to drink. On the summit, though, the terraces sell the view more than the food. The better meals are in the family trattorias of Borgo Maggiore and the lower villages.

Milan has far more to see. There is the Duomo and its rooftop, Leonardo's Last Supper, the paintings in the Brera and Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà in the Castello Sforzesco. Sant'Ambrogio and the Ambrosiana fill a second or third day.

In San Marino the appeal is the whole setting rather than its collections: three towers on the cliffs of Monte Titano, the Palazzo Pubblico and the story of one of the world's oldest surviving republics. It is memorable, but half a day covers it well.

Milan has a real night out. Aperitivo runs on into the canal-side bars of the Navigli, Isola and Porta Venezia have a relaxed, mixed scene, and the clubs range from dressy Corso Como to warehouse nights on the edge of town. San Marino has almost nothing beyond a quiet glass on a terrace above the lights of the coast, and the Riviera clubs are a drive away in Rimini and Riccione.

Milan itself is flat and hazy, but within an hour the train reaches Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, with ferries, sailing and lakeside paths. The Prealps above them offer serious hiking and via ferrata, and in winter there is skiing further off.

San Marino has the better views on the doorstep: a limestone ridge looking out to the Adriatic, with paths through the woods between the towers. The walks are short, though, and the Montefeltro hills suit a gentle drive or bike ride rather than anything demanding.

Both make good bases, but Milan's high-speed rail puts more within easy reach without a car. Verona, Turin, Bergamo and the lake villages are about an hour away and Bologna not much further. The Certosa di Pavia, Mantua and Cremona add more.

San Marino's options are fewer and more rural: the rock fortress of San Leo, Urbino's Renaissance court and the hill towns of Santarcangelo and Verucchio, with Ravenna's mosaics a little further. Most of these need a car, because the only regular public link is the bus down to Rimini.

Neither place is built around children, but Milan has a slight edge for a city stay. The science and technology museum, with its submarine and hands-on labs, saves a rainy day, Parco Sempione has playgrounds, and Leolandia and Gardaland are within reach.

In San Marino, children love the towers, battlements and cable car. Steep steps make pushchairs hard work, though, and the summit has little built for children. The family attractions, such as waterparks, Italia in Miniatura and the shallow beaches, are on the coast below and easiest to reach with a car.

Milan is much easier to get around. The centre is flat and walkable, the five metro lines are simple and take contactless cards, the old orange trams fill the gaps, and trains run straight to the lakes, so you never need a car. San Marino's core is small and car-free, but almost every street climbs or turns into steps. The cable car only links the summit with Borgo Maggiore, and beyond the bus from Rimini you really need a car.

In Milan, shopping is a reason to make the trip. In San Marino it is mostly something to do between the towers. Milan has the flagships of the Quadrilatero della Moda, La Rinascente beside the Duomo and the old shops under the Galleria's glass roof. For everyday buys there is the long Corso Buenos Aires, and the design showrooms and Navigli antique markets give it more range.

San Marino's draw is lower taxes than in Italy, so the main streets sell perfume, watches, leather goods and spirits. Ceramics, souvenir crossbows and the republic's collectable stamps and coins fill the rest, and an outlet centre on the valley floor stocks fashion brands. Anyone looking for real independent design heads for Bologna.

San Marino is easier on the wallet. Hotels are moderately priced outside August and the trattorias in the lower villages are fair, with only the view terraces and summit hotels charging more. Lower taxes also make fuel and spirits cheaper than in Italy.

Milan is Italy's most expensive city, and rooms become very hard to find at reasonable rates during trade fairs and fashion weeks. Aperitivo snacks, office-worker set lunches and staying near a metro stop outside the centre all help.

La Scala alone puts Milan far ahead, with an opera and ballet season that opens each December on the feast of Sant'Ambrogio. The Piccolo Teatro, a fine symphony orchestra, jazz clubs and big summer concerts at San Siro add depth.

San Marino has a small theatre, occasional concerts by local ensembles and open-air music in the squares in summer. Its highlight is the Medieval Days festival, with costumed musicians, crossbow contests and flag-throwers. For opera or a proper concert season, people go to Bologna or Pesaro.

Neither is a place people choose in order to slow down, but Milan gives you more ways to do it. You can spend an afternoon soaking in the outdoor thermal pools south of the centre, or in summer swim at the Bagni Misteriosi, a set of 1930s pools beside a historic theatre. For real rest, though, most visitors take the train an hour north and spend the day by Lake Como or Lake Maggiore.

San Marino offers stillness rather than treatments. Apart from a hotel spa or two there is nowhere to soak, the nearest thermal baths are a separate trip, and summer afternoons around the towers are crowded. The calm comes once the coaches have gone, when an evening stroll along the walls with the plain spread out below is the most peaceful part of a stay.