Padua or Rome?

Neither is a beach destination, but Rome makes a day at the sea easier. Ostia's dark volcanic sand is about half an hour away by suburban train, and Fregene is a little quieter, though the water is rarely clear.

From Padua, Sottomarina and the Lido of Venice take about an hour each. Their long, flat strips of umbrellas are no prettier than Ostia's lidos, but the shallow, calm water there does suit small children.

Rome has the more distinctive table. Its four classic pastas, Jewish-style artichokes in the Ghetto, offal dishes in Testaccio and serious street food like supplì and pizza al taglio make eating a main reason to go, as long as you avoid the menus near the big sights.

Padua cooks in the Venetian home style, with bigoli, baccalà and risotto with peas, and is built around the morning markets beneath the Palazzo della Ragione and the standing spritz in the squares. It wins on local wine, since the Euganean reds and sweet Fior d'Arancio easily beat Rome's modest Frascati.

Padua has one sight of real European importance, Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. Around it are a UNESCO-listed group of fresco cycles, the Basilica of Saint Anthony and the world's oldest permanent anatomical theatre, but all of this can be covered in a couple of days.

Rome works on a different scale. Ancient Rome still stands in the middle of town, early Christian mosaics and Bernini's Baroque piazzas sit on top of it, and the Vatican Museums alone could fill several days. Here a week is spent choosing what to leave out.

Padua's evenings start with an aperitivo in the squares by the Palazzo della Ragione and carry on in the wine bars and small pubs of the old ghetto. They are lively during university term but quiet in high summer, and the few clubs are out on the edge of town.

Rome starts the same way, with a drink in the piazza, but has many more neighbourhoods to go on to. Trastevere stays full until late, Monti has small cocktail bars, San Lorenzo is the cheap student area and Pigneto draws an arty crowd. There are also some clubs around Testaccio and Ostiense.

The outdoors is roughly as good in both, but it is arranged differently. In Padua it starts outside the city: the volcanic Euganean Hills are about 15km away, with flat towpath rides along the Brenta and proper mountain walking in the pre-Alps around Monte Grappa.

Rome has its green spaces inside the city, in the villa parks and on the Appian Way, where a bike ride passes tombs and aqueducts. Further out are the crater lakes of the Alban Hills and the Apennines, where Terminillo offers winter skiing.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is in the kind of trip. From Padua, the trips are short train hops between cities of art: Venice in under half an hour, Vicenza in a quarter of an hour, and Verona, Bologna and Ferrara within about an hour. Closer in are the Brenta villas and the walled towns around the hills.

From Rome, the trips lean towards archaeology and hill towns. Ostia Antica, Hadrian's Villa, the Etruscan tombs of Tarquinia and cliff-top Orvieto are all within reach, and fast trains reach Florence and Naples in about ninety minutes.

Rome does a little more to hold children's interest, with gladiators and catacombs, the Bioparco zoo and rowing boats in Villa Borghese, and a children's museum. The downside is long queues, cobbles that are hard on pushchairs and heavy traffic.

Padua is the easier place to manage, being flat, safe and largely pedestrianised, with Prato della Valle for running about. There is little in the city aimed at children, though, so families rely on trips to Gardaland or the Adriatic.

Padua is easier to get around. Almost everything is within a 20-minute walk under shady arcades, a tram links the station to the centre, and bicycles are a normal way to get about. Fast trains run in every direction, so you need no car in the city or for day trips to Venice, Verona or Bologna. A car is only worth having for the Euganean Hills and the villa countryside.

Rome's centre is also best seen on foot, but the distances are longer and the cobbles, scooters and heat wear you out. The metro barely enters the historic core, and buses get stuck in traffic.

Rome is the place to shop. The big Italian fashion houses line Via Condotti and the streets off the Spanish Steps, Monti has young designers and vintage shops, and the Sunday flea market at Porta Portese is huge.

In Padua, shopping is something to fit in around the sights: fashion and shoe shops under the arcades, university bookshops and a monthly antiques market in Prato della Valle. Its best buys are the cheeses and Euganean wines from the market stalls.

Padua is the cheaper stay, mainly because rooms cost much less, which is why so many visitors sleep there and take the train to Venice for the day. Walking and trattoria meals keep daily costs moderate too.

In Rome, accommodation does most of the damage. Central rooms are small, costly and hard to find in spring and autumn, and the main museums charge high entry fees. Free drinking fountains, open churches and pizza al taglio help bring the total down.

Padua's programme is modest. Teatro Verdi stages prose theatre and some opera, a chamber orchestra gives a regular season, and there are concerts in the frescoed Sala dei Giganti and the Basilica of Saint Anthony. For major opera you have to go to the Fenice in Venice or the summer Arena in Verona.

Rome has much more to offer. The Teatro dell'Opera stages opera and ballet through the winter and moves to the Baths of Caracalla in summer. The Santa Cecilia orchestra plays at Renzo Piano's Auditorium, and the city has a long-running jazz club scene.

This is Padua's clearest advantage. Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, about 12km away, form one of Europe's largest thermal districts, with hot mineral pools and mud treatments, and many spa hotels take day visitors, so a soak fits easily after a morning of sightseeing.

Rome's famous baths are ruins. For real thermal water you go to Bagni di Tivoli or the springs around Viterbo, and in the loud city centre the villa gardens and the Aventine are the quiet places to rest.