Even off-season, Italy is a hot destination

The queue is long for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, an attraction for tourists and for believers of many religions. (Reuters)

With its beauty, culture, cuisine, and history, Italy is one of Europe's most popular destinations, and that holds true in the so called off-season, when both temperatures and prices drop. Here are some possibilities for autumn and beyond:

TourCrafters' one-week Rome and Its Coast package starts at $1,116 from Boston and includes round-trip airfare, four-star hotels, four days' car rental, one gourmet dinner, daily breakfast, and hotel service charges and taxes. Travelers stay four nights at Il San Francesco hotel in the seaside resort of Sabaudia south of Rome, then two nights at the Hotel Quirinale on the Via Nazionale in Rome. Departures are Oct. 1-Dec. 15 and March 1-19 and 26-31.

Visit tourcrafters.com, where there are several other Italy offers as well, or call 800-492- 5995.

Book a tour from VBT Bicycling Vacations by Sept. 30 and you can save as much as $300 a couple. For instance, on the 11-day Sicily-Aeolian Islands trip, cyclists explore temples, volcanoes, fishing villages, and vineyards. With the discount, prices from Boston begin at $2,795, including airfare, lodging, and 16 meals.

Visit vbt.com or call 800-BIKE-TOUR (245-3868).

For many, staying in a villa is an excellent way to enjoy the country. Italian Vacation Villas has a new website listing villas that the company's owners have visited, with representative low-season prices ranging from $1,330 to $5,920 a week. The site also features tips on traveling to Italy.

Visit villasitalia.com or call 202-333-6247.

Wimco, based in Newport, R.I., is a leader in villa rentals, with 170 properties in Italy, 100 of them in Umbria. Representative off-season prices range from $1,690 to $9,360 weekly. Visit wimco.com or call 800-932-3222.

Even after summer ends, lines to the Vatican's attractions can be long. Viator has a way to skip the lines - for a price, of course - with private tours. For example, a two-hour private viewing of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums is being offered the evening of Oct. 12 for about $335. The group will be limited to a maximum of 30 people at a time.

Visit viator.com.

From a Concord reader comes a recommendation for Bluone Cooking Tours in Italy, run by a husband-wife team for groups of four to 10. A six-night Food Lovers Cooking Adventure in Bologna features excursions, lessons, and all meals; sessions available Nov. 4-10, Dec. 2-8, and Feb. 18-24. The price is about $3,500, airfare not included. Visit bluone.com.

Perillo Tours, a specialist in Italy, has at least 10 fully escorted tours at varying prices that include meals, and will send you a free DVD about them. Visit perillotours.com or call 800-431-1515.

Gutsy Women Travel, which says its tours are "designed specifically by women for women and their unique interests," has a nine-day trip beginning March 29 called Montecatini: Super Tuscany Plus Cinque Terre in Liguria. Participants will explore the Tuscan countryside while staying in the spa town of Montecatini. Prices from Boston begin at $2,959 and include airfare and 16 meals.

Visit gutsywomentravel.com or call 866-IMGUTSY (464-8879).

Especially for travelers 55 and over who enjoy escorted trips, Grand Circle Travel offers Heart of Italy: Tuscany and the Venetian Countryside, a 16-day trip visiting Lake Como, Abano, San Marino, Chianciano, and Florence. There are departures in every month but January, with prices starting at $2,195 and including airfare from Boston and many meals.

Visit gct.com or call 800-959-0405.

If you do go to Italy, be sure to wear long pants or a skirt before entering a church. That is one of the tips in the Travel Tools section on Grand European Tour's website, along with what to pack, local customs, climate conditions, safety, and transportation. Visit www.getours.com/traveltools.

Heavy on the pepper

The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., is celebrating New Mexico's big cash crop, the chile pepper, through Nov. 30, the harvest season. The Native American resort is featuring a variety of chile-themed events, classes, and festivities such as chile roasting classes, tours, chile mud spa treatments, and even an all-chile-menu. Rates start at $225 per room per night.

Visit tamaya.hyatt.com or call 505-867-1234.

When not included, hotel taxes, airport fees, and port charges can add significantly to the price of a trip. Most prices quoted are for double occupancy; solo travelers will usually pay more. Offers are subject to availability and there may be blackout dates. Richard P. Carpenter can be reached at carpenter@globe.com.