Naples or Padua?

Neither is a beach destination, but Naples at least lives on the water. You can swim off the rocks below the Lungomare or at the small lidos in Posillipo, and a ferry takes you to the clear, rocky coves of Procida, Ischia or Capri.

From Padua the sea is an hour's trip to Sottomarina or the Venice Lido, which are flat Adriatic strips of umbrellas. The shallow, calm water suits small children who want to paddle, but it is an outing, not part of the stay.

Naples is the one to travel for food. Pizza comes from here, and the street food, from fried pizza to sfogliatelle, along with the markets at Pignasecca and Porta Nolana, can give a whole trip its rhythm.

Padua's cooking is quieter Venetian home food: bigoli with duck sauce, baccalà, risotto with peas. Its best hour is the early-evening spritz in Piazza delle Erbe. Both cities offer little international food or fine dining, so neither suits someone who puts variety ahead of tradition.

Naples has more to see, and more kinds of it. The Greek street grid along Spaccanapoli is packed with churches, the Archaeological Museum holds the finds from Pompeii, the Veiled Christ lies in the Cappella Sansevero, a whole city of tunnels runs underground and Capodimonte's paintings hang on its hill. A week barely covers it.

Padua's treasures sit close together: Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel and the fresco cycles around it, the Basilica of Saint Anthony with Donatello's bronzes and the anatomical theatre at the Bo. They are world-class, and the timed Scrovegni visits need booking ahead, but two or three days see the centre well.

Nights in Naples run louder and later. Students drink on the steps of Piazza Bellini beside the old Greek walls, and a smarter crowd fills the alleys of Chiaia well past midnight, through the summer as well. It is street life rather than clubbing, and the dancing moves out to the coast in summer.

Padua's evening is the aperitivo, with spritz glasses in the squares beneath the Palazzo della Ragione and small bars around the old ghetto. It is easy and sociable, but it follows the university term, and the city goes quiet in high summer.

Naples has volcanic scenery right on its doorstep: the crater rim of Vesuvius, the craters and lakes of the Phlegraean Fields and snorkelling at Gaiola. The Path of the Gods above the Amalfi Coast makes a long day out.

Padua's outdoors is gentler and further away. There are trails and vineyards in the Euganean Hills, flat bike rides along the Brenta, and the pre-Alps for proper mountain walking about an hour and a half away by car. Cyclists may prefer it, but walkers who want dramatic views will prefer Naples.

Both are outstanding bases, and the difference lies in what surrounds them. From Naples the trips are ancient and by the sea: Pompeii and Herculaneum on the local train, the palace at Caserta, ferries to Capri and Ischia, the Amalfi Coast and the temples at Paestum.

From Padua the trips are to cities and Renaissance sights: Venice is under half an hour away by train, then Palladio's Vicenza, Verona, Bologna and Ferrara, plus the Brenta villas and walled towns such as Montagnana. Padua's trips run on quick, smooth trains, while those from Naples often mean a crowded Circumvesuviana or a boat.

Naples gives older children more to remember, while Padua is far easier with small ones. In Naples the tunnels under the city, the funiculars, the ferries and the ruins of Pompeii make lasting impressions, but scooters in the lanes and steps that defeat pushchairs make the days tiring.

Padua is flat, safe and largely pedestrianised, with Prato della Valle for running about and the botanical garden's glasshouses. There is little else made for children, so families fill the days with trips to Gardaland or Lake Garda.

Naples has a walkable centre, Metro Line 1 with its art-gallery stations and four funiculars up the hills. Beyond those, buses crawl through traffic, the Circumvesuviana is crowded and unreliable, and crossing the road takes nerve.

Padua is much easier. Almost every sight is within a 20-minute walk along flat, arcaded streets, a tram runs from the station, and bikes are a normal way to get about. Fast trains in every direction make a car unnecessary for most trips.

Naples gives shoppers more to take home: made-to-measure tailoring in Chiaia, nativity figures from the workshops on Via San Gregorio Armeno, coral and cameos from Torre del Greco, and the Galleria Umberto I as a grand setting.

Padua's arcades hold Italian fashion, shoe shops and university bookshops, but its real strength is food. Cheeses and Euganean wine come from the delicatessens under the Palazzo della Ragione, and an antiques market fills Prato della Valle once a month.

Naples makes a budget go further. Pizza, street food and transport are cheap, and the historic centre has plenty of modest B&Bs. The costs rise once you head for the islands and the Amalfi Coast.

Padua costs the usual amount for a northern Italian city, though its hotels are reasonably priced as a base for Venice, which is why many visitors sleep there. Rooms get dearer during the trade fairs and the graduation season.

Naples has the Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest opera house in Europe still in use, with a full season of opera, ballet and concerts. On top of that there is Neapolitan song at small shows and from musicians in the trattorias.

Padua's programme is modest: theatre and some opera at Teatro Verdi, a chamber orchestra, and concerts in the Sala dei Giganti and the Basilica. For grand opera, visitors take the train to the Fenice in Venice or the Arena in Verona.

Naples is loud and intense. Its thermal water within the city is limited to the spa at Agnano, and the real draw is the thermal parks of Ischia, an hour away by hydrofoil, which suit a stay on the island better than a base in town.

Padua is the better choice for unwinding. Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, about 12km away, form one of Europe's largest thermal districts and are easy to reach for an afternoon soak. The city itself moves at an unhurried provincial pace that fits a restful stay.