TOURS & CRUISES

Glide through the Chianti region on the back of a Vespa

Zip through the rolling hills of Tuscany on a flashy red Vespa motor scooter in search of la dolce vita during weeklong harvest season tours of Italy.

The luxury trips focus on the country roads of the Chianti region. Guests stay in an 18th century manor house and take short daily trips on their motor scooters.

“In the last couple of years, Vespa has become a trendy vehicle,” said tour company representative Steen Lundberg. “These tours allow people to try them in the perfect place.”

The groups, which are limited to 16, have a private tour of Siena’s Duomo and ride to Il Borro, the estate of Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo.

Other activities include a half-day Tuscan cooking class, wine tastings and visits to villages.

Tours are scheduled Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28, and Oct. 5 and 12.

Cost: $3,895 per person, double occupancy (single supplement is $595), including Vespa rental, accommodations, most meals, entrance fees and trip insurance. Airfare from LAX to Florence is not included.

Contact: Italy by Vespa, Denver; (866) 297-7725, www.italybyvespa.com.

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NEW MEXICO

Art meets cuisine on shopping tour of Santa Fe

Get a taste of Santa Fe’s gourmet pleasures during a five-day culinary tour departing Oct. 18.

“Basically, we’re going to go shopping, have fun and eat a lot,” said tour organizer Sue Young.

Among the highlights will be a class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, an artist studio visit, a guided tour of Santa Fe and museum visits.

Cost: $1,275 per person, double occupancy (single supplement is $450), including accommodations, tours, three lunches and four dinners. Airfare is not included.

Contact: The Tasting Spoon, Marina del Rey; (310) 306-8851, www.tastingspoon.com.

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GUATEMALA

Two-week folk art tour on and off

the beaten path

CELEBRATE Day of the Dead, the Latin American celebration of All Souls’ Day, in the Maya villages of Guatemala on a 14-day folk art tour.

The Oct. 22 trip includes visits to well-known Guatemalan cities and regions such as Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango.

The tour also will see backcountry villages known for their weavings and pottery, said tour organizer Gordon Frost.

“We go places rarely visited by American travelers,” Frost said.

“All Souls’ Day is one of the biggest celebrations of the year,” he said. “And we’ll be there to watch the preparations and the celebration.”

Cost: $2,295 per person, double occupancy (single supplement is $455), including accommodations, breakfasts and some other meals, ground transportation, entrance fees and activities. Airfare from LAX to Guatemala City is not included.

Contact: Gordon Frost Folk Art Tours, Point Reyes Station, Calif.; (415) 663-1919, www.gordonfrost.com.

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EUROPE

See art in Spain, Italy, Russia or Czech Republic

Take a city break in Europe this fall with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art on weeklong tours to Prague, Czech Republic; Madrid; Rome; and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Each of the four tours includes accommodations at luxury hotels and optional daily excursions.

Cost: Prague (Nov. 7-14) is $1,545; Madrid (Nov. 13-20) is $1,545; Rome (Nov. 1-8) is $1,745; St. Petersburg (Nov. 10-17) is $1,795. The single supplement for each tour is $475. All costs are per person, double occupancy, including accommodations and breakfasts. Prices do not include round-trip airfare from LAX.

Contact: Santa Barbara Museum of Art; (805) 884-6476.

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OREGON

Ride the rapids, see fish spawn

on a four-day trip

Ride the Wildcat and Tyee rapids of the Rogue River in southern Oregon on a four-day fall trip timed to coincide with the annual migration of spawning salmon and steelhead.

The Sept. 16-19 trip, which is suitable for first-time river runners as well as veterans, travels through the Siskiyou Mountains, where swimmable stretches of river alternate with whitewater.

Participants camp along the river and enjoy daily tastings of wine from Sonoma County-based Ravenswood Winery.

Cost: $735 per person, including meals, guide services, camping equipment, oar and paddle rafts, inflatable kayaks and transportation to and from the Galice Resort in Merlin near Grants Pass. (Participants staying in Grants Pass the night before the trip can arrange for a shuttle to Galice.) Transportation from Los Angeles to Oregon is not provided.

Contact: James Henry River Journeys, Bolinas, Calif.; (800) 786-1830, www.riverjourneys.com.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with travel agents, cruise lines or tour operators.