Memorable Eats in Four Italian Regions

A gastronomic tour of Italy that focuses on Buon Ricordo dining visits four regions--Latium, Umbria, Tuscany and Veneto--and leaves March 23 for 12 days. Buon Ricordo is an association of restaurants in Italy where guests receive a commemorative plate with the name of the restaurant and the local specialty written on it. Participants begin in Rome and, in addition to dining, visit the Forum, Colosseum, Arch of Constantin and the Circus Maximus. In Umbria, guests tour the Orvieto cathedral and stroll through Todi, the town well-known from the Visa commercial about the couple accidentally trading their camera for a donkey.

Also on the itinerary: Assisi, with its sanctuary of San Francesco; Arezzo, where frescoes by Piero della Francesca are seen; Siena; the Renaissance city of Florence; Pisa, to see the Leaning Tower, and Venice for a gondola ride. Guests eat at six Buon Ricordo restaurants on this trip.

Cost: $2,850 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles on Alitalia, transfers, hotels, daily breakfast, five lunches, six dinners and land transportation. Contact: John Shambra, 248 Grace Drive, South Pasadena, Calif. 91030; telephone (818) 403-9113.

Santa Ynez Wineries

Taste the harvest of four wineries in Santa Ynez Valley wine country on an all-day motor-coach tour that leaves Costa Mesa at 7:30 a.m. and Studio City at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 21. The tour starts with breakfast en route . Itinerary includes the following wineries: Zaca Mesa Winery (tour and tasting), Byron Vineyard (tasting and buffet lunch), Foxen (tasting) and Fess Parker Winery (tasting and desserts). Participants return in the evening between 6 and 7 p.m.

Cost: $75, including transportation, continental breakfast, lunch and snacks, admissions and tour fees. Contact: Epicurean Wine Tours, 605 S. Marengo Ave., No. A, Pasadena, Calif., 91106; tel. (818) 795-2661.

Korea to Vietnam

A 13-day tour of Korea and Vietnam leaves March 12 and begins in Seoul, Korea. Participants will visit the Kyungbok Palace, the National Museum, Chung Wa Dae and the Olympic Stadium. An excursion is made to the Cu Chi Underground Tunnel.

In Vietnam, guests see the Marble Mountains, China Beach and the Cham Museum in Da Nang, then travel to Hue to see the Khai Dinh Tombs. In Ho Chi Minh City guests take in Vung Tau Beach and the Buddha Temple.

Cost: $2,275 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, hotels, all meals and tours. Other departure dates available. Contact: Olympus Travel, 2528 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90006; tel. (213) 487-0947.

Decorative Texas

See historic homes and private collections in Texas on a seven-day decorative arts tour timed to coincide with the spring azalea season. Leaving March 20, participants begin in Houston and visit Bayou Bend, an estate of the late philanthropist Ima Hogg that houses one of the large collection of decorative arts and has a 14-acre garden. Participants will also see the Rothko Chapel and get a private tour of the Menil Collection, medieval and Byzantine art collections.

In Austin, a tour is taken of the LBJ Ranch before going to Fredericksburg for an overnight stay in the German-style town famous for its antiques. In San Antonio, guests will explore the Riverwalk while enjoying a luncheon cruise aboard a chartered riverboat, visit the Alamo, the King William Historic District and Long Barracks Museum.

Cost: $2,095 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, most meals, motor-coach tours, entrance fees, tips and a tax-deductible donation to the Decorative Arts Study Center. Decorative Arts Study Center membership is an additional $35. Contact: Spectrum Tours, P.O. Box 50608, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93150; tel. (805) 969-9665.

Aria Everywhere

Feast your ears on six operas and three concerts on a musical tour of Munich, Dresden and Berlin, Germany; Salzburg and Vienna, Austria, and Prague in the Czech Republic. The tour leaves May 29 for 17 days and is escorted by Mario Ramos, general manager of the Hawaii Opera Theatre.

Operas by Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Puccini and Mozart are scheduled, as are concerts by the Berlin Philharmonic and Dresden and Prague Symphony orchestras. The group travels at a leisurely pace by motor coach from city to city with time to sightsee and shop.

Cost: $3,950 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, most meals, tickets, entrance fees and guides. Not included: air fare to Zurich and return from Berlin. Contact: World Connection Tours, 1051 Keolu Drive, No. 242, Kailua, Hawaii 96734; tel. (800) 942-4462.

Southern Gardens

An eight-day springtime journey to Georgia and South Carolina sponsored by the Worcester County Horticultural Society focuses on renowned gardens, historic homes and plantations at the peak of spring bloom. The tour departs April 1 and guests will visit Callaway Gardens, a live butterfly conservatory and horticultural center in Pine Mountain, Ga.

Participants will attend the annual festival of Houses and Gardens in Charleston, S.C. Walking tours with horticulturists and historians include Middleton Place near Charleston, S.C., which has classical French-style formal gardens from 1741, and Magnolia Plantation, also near Charleston, a homestead established in the late 1600s. Guests will take a horse-drawn carriage ride past antebellum homes in Beaufort, S.C., lunch in historic homes, and attend a performance of Showboat at Charleston’s Dock Street Theatre. Participants stay in Old-World-style inns.

Cost: $1,514 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, 14 meals, horticulturist guides, entrance fees and tax-deductible donation to the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Not included: round-trip air fare. Contact: Learned Journeys, P.O. Box 30626, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93130; tel. (800) 682-6191.

Habla Good Time

Spend an academic summer in Spain in a two-part program: a 10-day trip to Cordoba, Granada, Algeciras, Seville, Toledo and Madrid, and a monthlong total-immersion language program where participants live with host families in Burgos and learn Spanish in a classroom. Participants may join either part of the program or sign up for both.

The 10-day tour takes participants to cultural and historic sites. Guests stay in hotels and eat traditional Spanish cuisine in restaurants. In the language portion of the program, participants live and eat with their host family in Burgos (north-central Spain) and attend social events, as well as visit museums, cathedrals and art galleries. Tours are June 21 and Aug. 1 and cost $2,695 including round-trip air fare, hotels, most meals and entrance fees. The language program begins July 1 and is $2,995, including air fare, accommodations, meals and classes. College credit is given for both programs. The cost for both programs is $3,995.

Contact: Dr. Jorge Santana, Department of Foreign Languages, Cal State Sacramento, 6000 J St., Sacramento, Calif. 95819; tel. (916) 278-6333.

*

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