Portofino or Trieste?

Neither has a proper beach, and swimming in both means rocks and ladders into clear water, so the difference is in the setting. Portofino's spots are small and scenic: the platforms on the way to the lighthouse, the little sandy bay at Paraggi given over mostly to paid clubs, and the pebble cove at San Fruttuoso reached by boat or trail.

Trieste swims on a city scale. The long Barcola promenade, with its concrete steps and pine-shaded lawns, has room for half the town, there are old bathing establishments with changing cabins nearer the centre, and prettier pebble coves lie out at Sistiana and Duino.

Trieste is the more rewarding place to eat. Its buffets carve boiled pork and ham with horseradish and sauerkraut, jota and sardoni share menus with strudel, the coffee houses have a language of their own, and the osmize up on the Karst pour Vitovska and Terrano at farmhouse tables.

Portofino serves good Ligurian staples, from trofie with pesto to Recco's cheese focaccia, but the harbour terraces charge for the view and the cooking rarely stands out. Keen eaters head for Camogli, Santa Margherita or the hill trattorie instead.

Trieste has far more to see. The sea-facing Piazza Unità, the Borgo Teresiano along the Canal Grande, the cathedral and castle on San Giusto, a Roman theatre, Miramare Castle, a large synagogue and the Risiera di San Sabba memorial add up to several full days, with Joyce and Svevo in the background.

Portofino's culture is mostly the village itself, with its painted houses round the harbour, San Giorgio and Castello Brown above them, and the medieval abbey of San Fruttuoso around the point. It is lovely, and you can see it all in a day.

Both are aperitivo towns rather than places for a big night, but Trieste keeps going longer. Students fill wine bars and pubs in Cavana and the old town, and in summer the kiosks along Barcola stay open into warm nights. Portofino has a few smart bars facing the yachts where people dress to be seen, and then nothing much, with the village quiet early outside July and August.

Portofino has the more striking outdoors in one compact place. The whole headland is a regional park, with trails through holm oak and pine over Monte di Portofino and down to San Fruttuoso, some exposed sections with chains, and a marine reserve offshore known for coral walls and the Christ of the Abyss.

Trieste's nature is more varied but less concentrated. You get the Strada Napoleonica above the gulf, the Rilke Path near Duino, the Val Rosandra gorge, the Grotta Gigante and Škocjan caves, and serious sailing waters, with the Julian Alps within reach for mountain days.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is in the kind of trip. From Portofino the outings follow one coast, often by boat: Camogli, Rapallo, Sestri Levante, the Cinque Terre and Portovenere by summer ferry, and Genoa's palaces less than an hour away.

Trieste reaches into three countries. Roman Aquileia, star-shaped Palmanova, Cividale and the Collio vineyards are in Friuli, Piran, Ljubljana and Postojna are across the Slovenian border, and Venice makes a long but workable day by train.

Trieste is the easier choice with children. Miramare's gardens, the giant Grotta Gigante, a small aquarium, a hands-on science centre and summer days on Barcola give a family enough to fill a stay, though the steep streets and rocky swimming suit older children more than toddlers.

Portofino is safe and children enjoy the boats and the castle walk, but there is nothing aimed at them, the sand at Paraggi is mostly paid clubs and pushchairs struggle on the steps. Families usually base themselves in Santa Margherita or Rapallo instead.

Trieste is much simpler to move around. Its centre is flat and compact along the waterfront, a dense bus network covers the coast road and the Karst, and boats cross to Muggia, although the climb to San Giusto is a workout.

Portofino is tiny on foot, but reaching it means one narrow road from Santa Margherita about 5km away, very little parking, and buses and traffic that clog up in summer. The ferries are the pleasanter way in from spring to autumn.

Neither is a shopping destination, though Trieste gives you a little more to browse. Antique and second-hand shops in the old town lanes, the ordinary clothing streets around Corso Italia and edible souvenirs like roasted coffee, Karst honey and presnitz make for a pleasant afternoon. Portofino's few lanes are lined with big fashion and jewellery names and resort wear, interesting only if you want designer labels, and done in under an hour.

This is where the two differ most. Portofino is one of Italy's most expensive places to stay, with few hotels, mostly luxury ones, and high charges for everything from piazzetta drinks to loungers and parking. Many visitors sleep elsewhere and come for the day.

Trieste is fairly priced for northern Italy. Buffet plates and bar coffee cost little, rooms are reasonable for most of the year, and the waterfront, the Karst walks and swimming at Barcola are free.

Trieste has a real stage life where Portofino has almost none. The Teatro Verdi runs a full opera and ballet season with a rare Habsburg fondness for operetta, the Politeama Rossetti stages theatre and musicals, and there is a Slovenian-language theatre too. Portofino offers only the odd summer concert in the piazzetta or at the castle, so an evening of opera means going to the Carlo Felice in Genoa.

Portofino's calm is scenic and depends on timing. The hillside luxury hotels have the spas, pools and massage rooms, and the shaded paths are quietest early and late in the day or outside high summer, before the tour boats fill the harbour. Trieste's calm is urban and lasts through the day, with long sittings over a newspaper in the old coffee houses, a few day spas and a sunset stroll out along the Molo Audace. For proper thermal baths you would have to leave either place.