Syracuse, Sicily or Verona?

This is where the two differ most. Syracuse is a real sea destination. You can swim in the clear Ionian straight off the rocks and wooden decks of Ortigia, go to sandy local beaches at Arenella and Fontane Bianche, or drive to the wild pale-sand coves of Vendicari, and the season runs into early October.

Verona has no coast. Its swimming is on the southern shore of Lake Garda, at lidos, lawns and the limestone shelves of Sirmione. The water is calm and pleasant, but the beaches are narrow and crowded at weekends, so it works as an outing rather than the reason for the trip.

The two are on a par for food, but they eat from different landscapes. Syracuse cooks from the sea and the market: sea urchin pasta, raw prawns, rolled swordfish and almond granita for breakfast. Verona cooks from the plain and the vineyards: Amarone risotto, bigoli with duck and bollito with peppery pearà.

Drink tips the balance a little differently in each. Verona has Valpolicella, Amarone and Soave all within a short drive, and the evening habit is a glass at a counter. Syracuse offers good-value Nero d'Avola and sweet Moscato. Both have the same weak spot: tourist tables on the showpiece squares that charge for the view.

Both are among Italy's most rewarding historic cities, and each needs two or three days. The difference is in the layers. Syracuse is Greek at heart, with a temple to Athena built into its cathedral, a vast theatre cut into the rock at Neapolis and the Paolo Orsi museum's collection of the ancient world, along with a Caravaggio and the catacombs.

Verona's story is Roman and medieval: the Arena, the Roman theatre below Castel San Pietro, the della Scala tombs and the Romanesque San Zeno. Castelvecchio's museum in its Scarpa setting gives it a stronger art collection, while Syracuse has the deeper antiquity.

Neither city is for a big night out. In both, the evening is an aperitivo in a piazza followed by a few wine bars. In Syracuse that happens on Ortigia's sea walls and lanes, with beach clubs on the southern coast adding some dancing in high summer. Verona's later crowd is the students in Veronetta, plus the opera audience spilling out near midnight. In both cities, anyone wanting clubs has to look elsewhere: Catania from Syracuse, the outskirts from Verona.

Syracuse has the wilder surroundings. Inland there are limestone gorges such as Cavagrande, with its green pools, and the Anapo valley below Pantalica. On the coast are Vendicari's lagoons and flamingos, snorkelling at Plemmirio and papyrus on the Ciane river. Etna is close enough for a day.

Verona's countryside is gentler and more cultivated: vineyard walks in Valpolicella, cycling along the Adige, and pastures and beech woods on the Lessinia. Its strong card is Lake Garda, where Monte Baldo offers ridge walks and the northern shore has dependable wind for sailing.

Syracuse is a fine base for south-eastern Sicily. The baroque towns of the Val di Noto are each worth a day: Noto itself, then Modica, Ragusa Ibla and Scicli. Palazzolo Acreide and the old tuna village of Marzamemi are closer, and Catania, Taormina and the Piazza Armerina mosaics lie to the north. Most of these are reached by slow roads and thin bus routes, so a hire car does most of the work.

Verona has the edge for range. Venice is about an hour and ten minutes away by train. Padua's Giotto frescoes, Palladio's Vicenza and Mantua are all nearer, and you can reach every one of them without a car. The Garda towns and the Soave and Valpolicella cellars are closer still. The buses to the wine villages and some lake sights are thin, though, so those trips are much easier by car.

Verona has the bigger draws for children. Gardaland, the water parks around southern Garda and a drive-through safari zoo are all within half an hour, and the lake has shallow, calm water. The flat, pedestrian centre is easy with a pushchair.

Syracuse relies almost entirely on the sea. It has gently shelving sandy beaches and car-free lanes, and children enjoy the Ear of Dionysius, the papyrus boats and the puppet theatre. Beyond that there is no zoo or theme park, and Sicily's July heat limits sightseeing to the mornings and evenings.

On foot, both centres are simple: Ortigia takes fifteen minutes to cross, and Verona's river loop is just as compact. The gap opens once you leave the centre. Verona's rail links to Venice, Milan and Peschiera on the lake are fast and frequent, so many days out need no planning at all.

Around Syracuse, city buses are confusing, and regional buses and trains are slow and infrequent. Beaches such as Vendicari and the inland gorges realistically need a car, which most visitors end up hiring.

Verona has the better shopping street. Marble-paved Via Mazzini and the corsi off it are lined with Italian fashion labels, boutiques and jewellers, which is smart if not a reason to make the trip. Syracuse offers craft rather than fashion on Ortigia: hand-painted ceramics, coral jewellery and papyrus paintings. In both cities the best things to take home are edible. In Syracuse that means capers, almonds and pistachio. In Verona it means Amarone and Garda olive oil.

Syracuse is the cheaper of the two. Market sandwiches, arancini and simple trattoria meals with local wine cost noticeably less than in the north, and rooms on the mainland or outside high summer are fair. The extra costs are an August stay on Ortigia and the hire car you will probably need.

Verona's rooms in the centre are expensive for a provincial city, and they get scarce on opera nights and during trade fairs. On the other hand, you hardly spend anything on transport, and Veronetta's student osterie keep everyday meals reasonable.

Verona is clearly ahead. Opera in the Arena runs on most summer evenings, with Verdi and Puccini performed on a grand scale for thousands on the Roman stone. The Teatro Filarmonico keeps a season going in winter, and the Roman theatre hosts Shakespeare, dance and jazz in summer.

Syracuse has one remarkable event, Greek tragedy and comedy staged in the ancient theatre each late spring and early summer, and puppet theatre on Ortigia, but very little else for the rest of the year.

Neither city has a bathing culture of its own, but Verona has warm springs nearby. Sirmione's thermal pools face Lake Garda, a spring-fed thermal park sits near Lazise, and the Roman-era waters at Caldiero are just east of town. Syracuse offers hotel spas and, outside August, a slow pace of long lunches and sunsets on the sea walls. It is restful, but you would not go there to take the waters.