Rome or Syracuse, Sicily?

Syracuse is far better for swimming. The sea starts right on Ortigia, where people go in off the rocks below the old walls. Further south are the family beaches at Arenella and Fontane Bianche, rocky coves on the Plemmirio peninsula and the pale, empty sand of Vendicari, all with clear Ionian water.

In Rome the sea is a train ride away rather than part of the day. Ostia's dark volcanic sand is mostly taken up by paid lidos, the water is rarely clear, and for a pretty cove you have to go as far as Sperlonga or Sabaudia.

Rome eats better, with a cooking tradition all its own. There are carbonara, cacio e pepe and the other Roman pastas, artichokes fried the Jewish way in the Ghetto, Testaccio's offal dishes and pizza al taglio sold by weight. The catch is the tired menus around the big sights, which you avoid by walking to Trastevere, Monti or Testaccio.

Syracuse has a narrower range, but its food is rooted in the sea and in Ortigia's morning market: pasta with sea urchin, rolled swordfish, raw prawns and almond granita for breakfast. Its Nero d'Avola and sweet Moscato are more interesting than Rome's Frascati, but the choice of food stays regional.

Few places anywhere match Rome for this. A short walk takes in the Colosseum, the Forum and the Pantheon. Then there are the Vatican Museums, the Borghese Gallery and centuries of churches shaped by Bernini, Borromini and Caravaggio, enough to fill a week and still leave things out.

Syracuse is well worth seeing too, but its focus is narrower. Its strength is Greek: the temple columns built into the cathedral, the rock-cut theatre in the Neapolis park and the Paolo Orsi museum, all close to Ortigia's baroque lanes. Two or three days cover it well, which leaves time for the sea.

Neither is a clubbing city, but Rome gives you more choice of evening. Trastevere's lanes stay busy late, Monti has cocktail bars, San Lorenzo is cheap and full of students, and Pigneto draws an arty crowd. There are also clubs in Testaccio and Ostiense for those who want them.

Syracuse offers one good evening, repeated: an aperitivo on Ortigia's sea walls and then a few small bars, with beach-club dancing only in high summer. Out of season, nights end early, and for real clubbing you go to Catania.

Syracuse has wilder country around it. Inland, the limestone gorges of Cavagrande and the Anapo valley have trails and green pools, and Vendicari's lagoons draw flamingos. The Plemmirio reserve and Ortigia's sea caves are made for snorkelling and kayaking, and Etna is close enough for a day trip.

Rome's outdoors is gentler and more urban: the old villa parks, a bike ride along the Appian Way past tombs and aqueducts, and the crater lakes of the Alban Hills. For hiking or skiing in the Apennines you need a longer drive.

Both make excellent bases, and Rome is slightly ahead on range and ease. High-speed trains reach Florence and Naples in about ninety minutes. Closer in are Ostia Antica, Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este at Tivoli, the Etruscan tombs and cliff-top Orvieto.

Syracuse's day trips have more of a single theme: the baroque towns of the Val di Noto, meaning Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla and Scicli. Catania, Taormina and the Piazza Armerina mosaics add variety. Most of them are easier with a hire car than by bus.

Neither city is built around children, and both have the Italian warmth that makes eating out with them easy. The difference is in how the day runs. Rome has more organised attractions, such as the Bioparco zoo and rowing boats in Villa Borghese, a children's museum, gladiators and catacombs, but cobbles, crowds and queues make sightseeing tiring.

Syracuse relies on the sea. It has gently shelving sand at Arenella and Fontane Bianche, a mostly car-free Ortigia to wander, puppet shows and papyrus boat trips, but no zoo or aquarium to fall back on.

Rome is the easier place to spend a whole stay without a car. Most of the days are spent on foot in a centre where one great sight leads to the next within minutes, and public transport handles the longer hops to the Vatican or the station and the rail trips out of town. You will tire of the cobbles in July and August, but you will never need to drive.

In Syracuse the opposite is true. Ortigia and the archaeological park are an easy walk or a short taxi ride apart, but the main reasons to stay longer, Vendicari's sand, the gorges inland and the baroque towns, are poorly served by buses and slow trains. Most visitors hire a car for part of the trip and then have to park it outside Ortigia's restricted lanes.

Rome is a proper shopping city. It has the fashion houses on Via Condotti and nearby streets, the chains of Via del Corso, Monti's young designers and vintage shops, antique dealers around Via dei Coronari and the sprawling Sunday market at Porta Portese.

Syracuse is for small purchases: hand-painted ceramics, linen, coral jewellery and papyrus paintings in Ortigia's lanes, plus capers, almonds and pistachio products from the market. It has no luxury street to speak of.

Syracuse is the cheaper vacation. The gap shows most in food: market sandwiches, arancini and trattoria meals with local wine all cost little, and entry to the sites is moderate. The extra costs are car hire and Ortigia rooms in August.

In Rome, central rooms are small and costly, and the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Borghese all charge substantial fees. Standing espresso, pizza al taglio, free water from the fountains and free entry to churches soften the bill.

Rome has a full year of music. The Teatro dell'Opera stages opera and ballet in winter and moves to the Baths of Caracalla in summer. The Santa Cecilia orchestra plays at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, and there are jazz clubs and concerts in churches.

Syracuse has one outstanding event: Greek drama in the ancient theatre each late spring and early summer, a tradition since 1914. Otherwise there is little beyond puppet theatre and a modest municipal programme, so if this matters, plan your visit around the plays.

Neither city has a bathing culture, so in both a spa day means a hotel spa. Rome at least has real thermal water nearby, at Bagni di Tivoli and the hot springs around Viterbo. Its centre is noisy, though, and for calm you go to the villa gardens and the Aventine.

What Syracuse offers is a slower pace rather than treatments: a quiet Ortigia outside high summer, long lunches and sunsets from the sea walls.