Salerno or Syracuse, Sicily?

Syracuse has clearly the better swimming. The Ionian is clear right in the city, where people climb down from Ortigia's rocks and wooden platforms with the old town behind them. To the south are the gently shelving sands of Arenella and Fontane Bianche, the rocky coves of Plemmirio and the pale, undeveloped beaches of Vendicari.

Salerno's own grey-sand beaches east of the centre are fine for a quick dip, but the water near the port is cloudier. Good beach days mean the long sandy shore towards Paestum or a ferry to the clear coves of the Amalfi Coast. Syracuse's best beaches are also a journey away, though more easily reached by car than by public transport.

The two are close in quality, and the difference lies in what ends up on the plate. Salerno is mainland Campania: buffalo mozzarella made that morning on the plain towards Paestum, colatura anchovy sauce from Cetara, wood-fired pizza, and sfogliatelle and lemon pastries in the old town.

Syracuse cooks from the Ortigia market, with sea urchin pasta, rolled swordfish, sardines with wild fennel and arancini, and almond or mulberry granita for breakfast. The wines are Nero d'Avola and the sweet Moscato. Salerno's eating is mostly everyday and honest. Ortigia has a few more ambitious kitchens, though the tables on the obvious piazzas charge for the view.

Syracuse is in another league here. It was one of the great cities of the Greek world, and you can see the evidence everywhere, from the Doric columns built into the cathedral on Ortigia to the rock-cut theatre and the Ear of Dionysius in the Neapolis park. Add the Paolo Orsi museum, Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy and the catacombs, and the city alone fills two or three days.

Salerno's heritage is medieval and on a smaller scale: the Norman cathedral with Saint Matthew's crypt, the medicinal terraces of the Giardino della Minerva and the Arechi Castle above the gulf. It is rewarding, but you can see it in a day or so.

Neither city is for clubbing, and in both the evening happens outdoors in the old town. Salerno's crowd is young and local, packed into the squares around Largo Campo and Via dei Mercanti outside pubs and wine bars at weekends through the year, with Naples close for a big night.

Syracuse is more of an aperitivo-on-the-sea-walls place, with cocktail bars in Ortigia's lanes and a little summer dancing at the beach clubs to the south. In winter its nights end early.

Both cities have fine country nearby, but it is very different country. Salerno looks onto the Amalfi Coast's limestone cliffs and lemon terraces, with old mule tracks such as the Path of the Gods and the Valle delle Ferriere in the Lattari mountains. The wooded hills and headlands of the Cilento lie to the south.

Around Syracuse the landscape is quieter: limestone gorges on the Hyblaean plateau with pools at Cavagrande, the rock tombs of Pantalica, and flamingos on the Vendicari lagoons. There is also snorkelling in the Plemmirio marine reserve and Etna for a day on a volcano.

Both make excellent bases, but Salerno's day trips are better and easier. Paestum and Pompeii are each about half an hour away by train, and ferries reach Amalfi and Positano with Ravello just above. Naples, Herculaneum and the royal palace at Caserta are all simple days out without a car.

From Syracuse, the baroque towns of the Val di Noto (Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla and Scicli) are each worth a day, and Taormina and Catania are within reach. Most of these outings, though, are far easier by car than by bus.

Families will find the two cities about equal, and neither has a zoo or theme park. Salerno's strength is its long, flat seafront with playgrounds and gelato, plus the Luci d'Artista lights for a winter visit. Its stepped old town and the winding Amalfi roads are harder going with small children.

In Syracuse the sea does most of the work, with shallow sandy beaches and a car-free Ortigia to wander. Children also enjoy the echo in the Ear of Dionysius, the papyrus boats on the Ciane and the puppet theatre.

Salerno is clearly easier to get around. The station, the shopping street, the seafront and the old town lie along one walkable strip. A short metro line, regular trains to Naples, Pompeii and Paestum, and summer ferries along the coast mean most visitors never need a car.

Syracuse is simple only within Ortigia, which takes about fifteen minutes to cross on foot, with the archaeological park a longish walk away. Beyond that, buses and trains are sparse, and Vendicari, the gorges and the baroque towns are realistically reached by hire car.

Salerno has more to offer, though neither city is a shopping destination. Corso Vittorio Emanuele gives it a long pedestrian street of Italian clothing stores, the painted ceramics of Vietri are on the doorstep and Naples is close for anything more.

Syracuse's shopping is small-scale and craft-based: ceramics, linen, coral jewellery and papyrus paintings in Ortigia's lanes, and capers, almonds and pistachio products from the morning market.

Costs are similar overall, but the savings come in different places. In Salerno it is the beds, much cheaper than in the coastal villages it serves as a base for. Ferries, lido sunbeds and the high entry fees at the big archaeological sites add up over a summer week.

In Syracuse food is the bargain, from market sandwiches to trattoria meals with local wine, and site fees are moderate. Rooms on Ortigia in summer and the car you will probably hire push the total up.

Salerno has more going on through the year, thanks to the Teatro Verdi. This gilded opera house runs a full season of opera, concerts and ballet, and in summer the Ravello Festival's cliff-top concerts are within reach.

Syracuse has one unforgettable event rather than a programme. Each late spring and early summer, Greek tragedies and comedies are performed in the ancient theatre, as they have been since 1914. Apart from the Sicilian puppet theatres on Ortigia, there is little else on.

Neither city is a place for a spa break, and they are much alike. Salerno does have real thermal water at Contursi Terme, about an hour inland, but the city itself is a working port with traffic noise, and its calm lies in sunset walks along the palm-lined promenade.

Syracuse has no springs, only a few day spas on Ortigia. Out of season, though, the island is quieter and slower than anywhere in Salerno, with long lunches and evening walks on the sea walls, at least until the August crowds and heat arrive.