Sorrento or Syracuse, Sicily?

Syracuse offers more kinds of swimming. You can climb in off the rocks and platforms under Ortigia's sea walls, spread out on the gently sloping sand at Arenella and Fontane Bianche, or drive to the undeveloped pale beaches of Vendicari, which are the best of the lot.

Sorrento sits on a cliff and has almost no sand. You swim from wooden lido piers at Marina Piccola and Marina Grande, or from the rocks at the Bagni della Regina Giovanna, into deep, clear water. Much of the shoreline is taken up by paid lidos, and for a real beach you have to catch a bus or a boat.

Syracuse eats better, and its Ortigia market is the reason. Sea urchins, swordfish, capers and citrus from the stalls end up in pasta with sea urchin or sardines, and summer mornings start with almond granita. Good-value Nero d'Avola and Moscato from the surrounding countryside make the meal.

Sorrento has its own strengths: gnocchi alla sorrentina, fish cooked all'acqua pazza, lemons in everything and cheese from the hill dairies. The hill villages also hold some celebrated fine dining. In the centre, though, you need to look past the menus aimed at tour groups to find the good trattorias.

This is the biggest gap between the two towns. Syracuse was a great Greek city, and you can see it in the Doric columns inside the cathedral, the Greek theatre and the Ear of Dionysius in the Neapolis park, and the Paolo Orsi museum, all set against Ortigia's baroque palaces. It is enough for two or three full days.

Sorrento's own sights fill a gentle day or so: the Roman street grid, the cloister of San Francesco, the Museo Correale and the ravine of the Vallone dei Mulini. The heavyweight history, at Pompeii and in Naples, lies outside the town.

Neither town is built for a big night, but Syracuse stays up later. On summer weekends people move between the small bars in Ortigia's lanes until well past midnight, and in July and August the beach clubs to the south add some dancing.

Sorrento's evening is a stroll along Corso Italia, a drink on a terrace over the bay, or Neapolitan songs in a piano bar, and most of the year it is quiet early. Because the last trains and ferries leave in the evening, a real night out in Naples or on Capri means staying over there.

Sorrento has the more dramatic surroundings. Terraced limestone slopes drop to sheer coast, with paths to Punta Campanella and the protected bay of Ieranto, and the Path of the Gods, Monte Faito and Vesuvius are close by. Boats and kayaks explore the grottoes and coves.

Syracuse's landscape is quieter and more varied than you might expect. Gorges with green pools at Cavagrande, rock-cut tombs in the Anapo valley, and flamingos on the Vendicari lagoons are all within reach, and Etna is a longer drive. Its one clear advantage is under water: the Plemmirio marine reserve is a better place for snorkelling and diving.

Both are excellent bases, but Sorrento comes out ahead because so many famous places are close and easy to reach without a car. The Circumvesuviana takes you to Pompeii and Herculaneum, ferries cross to Capri, and Naples is about an hour away. In summer, boats also run along the Amalfi Coast to Positano and Amalfi, and from Amalfi a bus climbs to the villa gardens of Ravello.

From Syracuse, the outings are to the UNESCO-listed baroque towns of Noto, Modica and Ragusa Ibla, to Catania, and to the Greek theatre at Taormina. They are just as rewarding, but they are further apart and much easier to reach with a hire car than by bus.

Syracuse is easier with children, mainly because of its beaches. The sand at Arenella and Fontane Bianche slopes gently into the water, Ortigia's lanes are mostly free of cars, and puppet shows and boat rides among the papyrus help to break up the archaeology.

Sorrento's flat centre is easy with a pushchair, and a boat to Capri or a train to Pompeii goes down well with children. However, the swimming is off piers and rocks into deep water, and many hotels are on steep lanes with no pavements, so families with small children usually rely on a hotel pool.

Both have small, walkable centres where a car is a nuisance. The difference is what happens once you leave them. From Sorrento you can reach most places by the Circumvesuviana train, by bus or by ferry. They are often crowded or slow, but you will not need to hire a car.

In Syracuse, Ortigia takes about fifteen minutes to cross on foot. Beyond it, city buses are confusing for visitors, regional services are thin, and the Vendicari beaches and the inland gorges are realistically only reachable by car, so most visitors hire one for part of their stay.

Shopping is modest in both, and what differs is the local craft. Sorrento has intarsia boxes and trays made of inlaid wood and leather sandals made to measure while you wait, and the boutiques of Capri are one boat ride away if you want more. Syracuse has hand-painted Sicilian ceramics, papyrus paintings, and capers, almonds and pistachio products from the morning market to take home.

Syracuse is noticeably cheaper. Eating out costs little, from market sandwiches to trattoria meals with local wine, and both site entry and mainland rooms are reasonable. The real costs are Ortigia rooms in high summer and the hire car you will probably need.

Sorrento charges what you would expect on one of Italy's most famous coasts. Sea-view rooms, lido sunbeds, terrace restaurants and private boats all add up quickly, although cheap public transport and lower hotel rates in spring and late autumn help.

Syracuse has one event that Sorrento cannot match. Every late spring and early summer, Greek tragedies and comedies are performed in the ancient theatre, a tradition dating from 1914, and Ortigia's family puppet theatres keep the Sicilian tales of knights alive.

In Sorrento, performances mean Neapolitan song and tarantella shows put on for visitors, plus summer concerts in the San Francesco cloister. For opera, go to the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples.

Neither has a bathing tradition of its own, but Sorrento has more to offer. Its cliff-top hotels have spas and pools over the bay, and Ischia's thermal gardens by the sea are about an hour away by ferry.

Syracuse offers a slower pace more than treatments. There are a handful of hotel and day spas, but the restful part is long lunches and sunset walks on Ortigia's sea walls outside August.