Private Art Collections in Tuscany and Umbria

Art historian Paul Blanchard, a resident of Florence, is offering a tour that includes many meetings with members of the local art community in Tuscany and Umbria. Sponsored by the Educated Traveler, the tour (from Nov. 12 to 19) will take a small group to visit private art collections, many of which are housed in ancestral villas.

Guests will visit Fiamma Ferragamo, who will hold a reception in the family palace, Palazzo Feroni, considered the oldest surviving example of a private palace in Florence. They will also attend a luncheon at a 15th century castle, have dinner with Contessa Bichi Ruspini in her countryside villa and attend a party with Vittoria Adami at her Renaissance palace in Siena. The group will also view private collections housed in the Galleria Corsini, the Palazzo Capponi and the Palazzo Portinari Salvaiati, a 15th century palace decorated with frescoes by Allori depicting scenes from “The Odyssey.”

Cost: $3,595 including accommodations, some meals, ground transportation and sightseeing. Air fare is extra.

Contact: The Educated Traveler, P.O. Box 220822, Chantilly, VA 20153; telephone (800) 648-5168.

September in Tuscany

Join artist Roberta Kritzia Sept. 1 or Sept. 19 for a 12-day program of crafts, culture and cuisine in the medieval hill towns of Umbria and Tuscany, Italy. Towns visited on each trip include Siena, Florence, Orvieto, Spoleto, San Gimignano, Assisi and Deruta. Visits to private homes and studios are on the itinerary.

Cost: $2,700 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, ground transportation, some meals and sightseeing. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Personalized Travel, 5455 Sylmar Ave., No. 902, Sherman Oaks, CA 91401; tel. (818) 994-2402.

Tuscany, With Feeling

The Tuscany Institute for Advanced Studies, situated halfway between Rome and Florence, is offering two art enrichment excursions led by American artists.

The first program, Sept. 15 to 19, is titled “A Tuscan Perspective: Painting From Within,” with Sara Waterbury. It is followed by Laura Anderson’s art/travel workshop, “Autumn Colors in Tuscany,” Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. Enrollment in each program is limited to 10.

Participants will stay in a refurbished, centuries-old stone farmhouse on an estate with views of hilltop villages and the Tuscan countryside. Each five-day program combines art instruction with excursions to medieval and Renaissance towns, including Pienza, the setting of the film “The English Patient.” Novices, skilled and would-be artists are welcome. The excursions will focus on artifacts and treasures from the Etruscans through the Renaissance.

Cost: $1,595 per person, double occupancy, including five nights’ lodging, all meals, four half-day art instruction programs and transportation to and from Rome airport. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Tuscany Institute for Advanced Studies; tel. (714) 443-1309.

Biking N. Ireland

Experience an adventure in Northern Ireland and the Antrim Coast on a six-night biking tour. This tour includes walks through green glens, biking along scenic coastal roads, a visit to the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Distillery, and lunch at Dunluce Castle.

Cost: $750 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, breakfast, three evening meals, bike rental, maps, van support and local guides. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Fit to Be Toured; tel. (800) 538-8564.

Jewish Heritage

In recognition of last year’s reopening of the first synagogue in Portugal since 1497, Martin’s Travel is offering a 12-day tour, departing Sept. 16. Donald Cohen, a professor of Portuguese history, music and folklore, will lead a small group to trace the footsteps of Sephardic Jewish culture while experiencing Portugal’s history, fine wines, castles and cuisine.

The group will visit Lisbon, Evora, Estremoz, Castelo de Vide, Belmonte, Guarda, Porto, Tomar, Obidos, Sintra and Cascais. The tour includes a river cruise through the wine country along the Douro River, an elegant dinner at the Palace de Reinha, an overnight stay at the Waldorf Astoria in New York and evenings of fado music and folklore. Also included are meetings with leaders of local Jewish communities.

Cost: $3,995 per person, double occupancy, including air fare, deluxe hotels, most meals, sightseeing and cruise. Optional four-day extensions to the Portuguese island of Madeira or Madrid are offered. Contact: Martin’s Travel, 3415 Sepulveda Blvd., No. 645, Los Angeles, CA 90034; tel. (800) 999-5414.

Big Band Cruise

Listen to the Tommy Dorsey band and take a trip back in time on Holland America’s Maasdam, which is offering two big band cruises through the Panama Canal. The Nov. 24 departure leaves from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and ends in Acapulco. The Dec. 4 tour leaves from Acapulco to Fort Lauderdale. Each cruise is 10 days.

Cost: $1,783 per person, double occupancy. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Ambassador Tours, 717 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103; tel. (800) 989-9000.

Canyonlands in Utah

Colorado River and Trail Expeditions will offer a hiking-rafting excursion through Utah’s Canyonlands National Park Sept. 1 to 6.

Guests will travel down the Colorado River, spend a day on the rapids of Cataract Canyon and end at Lake Powell. Off-river hiking excursions go to Indian paintings, Anasazi ruins and spectacular view areas. Guides are experienced.

Cost: $750 per person, double occupancy, including all food, camping gear, boats and guides. Transportation to Moab, Utah, is not included. Contact: Colorado River and Trail Expeditions; tel. (800) 253-7328.

Chile South

Drop down to the bottom of the world on a Travcoa 13-day, 11-night journey to Patagonia. The tours leave Miami Oct. 31, Nov. 21 and Dec. 20. Participants take a Buenos Aires city tour, a Beagle Channel cruise, a steam locomotive ride and view penguins, sea elephants, sea lions and right whales at Peninsula Valdes.

Cost: $3,595 per person, double occupancy, includes all meals and “top quality” hostelries. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Travcoa; tel. (800) 992-2003.

Whaling B.C.

Join a sea kayaking tour into the orca whale area of British Columbia, Canada. Northern Vancouver Island is the summer home to the orca whales. Five-night tours run on various dates through July, August and the first two weeks of September. The focus is on relaxing and taking in the environment while practicing the approaches for whale watching being developed by the whale researchers of the area. The tours run in the area of Northern Johnstone Strait, on the north end of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Within this area is the marine reserve of Robson Bight, where the whales stay throughout the summer.

Cost: $774 per person, including camping equipment, all meals, kayaks and sightseeing. Not included: air fare to Seattle and transportation to Vancouver Island.

Contact: Silver Seas Adventure Tours; tel. (800) 992-8687.

California Missions

Combine Spanish culture and the scenery of California’s coastline on a tour of missions from San Diego to Carmel. Missions visited include San Diego, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Carmel. Points of interest along the way include San Juan Capistrano’s Old Town, Solvang, Morro Bay, Hearst Castle, Big Sur and Big Basin Redwoods. The tour departs San Diego at 8 a.m. Sept. 15 and ends at San Francisco’s airport Sept. 20.

Cost: $795 per person, double occupancy, including motor-coach transportation, lodging, entrance fees and one dinner. Passengers can also ride back with the van, which is included in the price.

Contact: Balboa Transportation, 11552 Alborada Drive, San Diego, CA 92127; tel. (619) 675-3053.

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