Special-Interest Vacations

Agrotourism

Agrotouristiki (tel. 210/331-4 117; www.agrotravel.gr) promotes stays at small inns and villas with a focus on local food and genuine cultural or nature-oriented activities as a way to educate visitors about traditional life in Greece and stimulate rural economies.

Archaeological Digs

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 6-8 Charlton St., Princeton, NJ 08540 (tel. 609/683-0800; www.ascsa.edu.gr), often sponsors tours in Greece and adjacent Mediterranean lands guided by archaeologists and historians. Archaeological Tours, 271 Madison Ave., Suite 904, New York, NY 10016 (tel. 866/740-5130; www.archaeologicaltrs.com), offers tours led by expert guides; typical tours might be to classical Greek sites or to Cyprus, Crete, and Santorini. FreeGate Tourism, 585 Stewart Ave., Suite 310, Garden City, NY 11530 (tel. 888/373-3428; www.freegatetours.com), also specializes in guided trips in Greece. And Dick Caldwell, a retired USC classic professor, leads highly personal tours that mix ancient sites with a feel for modern Greece (www.greecetravel.com/sporadestours).

Art

Group International Study Tours, 494 Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10001 (tel. 800/833-2111; www.groupist.com), offers studies in the architecture, art, and culture of Greece, led by professionals. Especially attractive are the Aegean Workshops run by Harry Danos, a Greek-American architect and watercolorist. In spring and autumn, he leads groups to various regions of Greece, where he provides instruction in drawing and watercolor painting (and also ends up teaching the language). To learn more, call tel. 860/739-0378 mid-May through October, or tel. 239/455-2623 from November to mid-May. You can also e-mail hkdanos@copper.net.

Athens Center for the Creative Arts, 48 Archimidou, Pangrati, 11636 Athens (tel. 210/701-2268), offers summer programs. Hellas Art Club on the island of Hydra, at the Leto Hotel, 18040 Hydra (tel. 22980/53-385), offers classes in painting, ceramics, music, theater, photography, Greek dancing, and cooking. An especially attractive possibility is the American-run Island Center for the Arts that conducts classes in painting, photography, and Greek culture on Skopelos between June and September (tel. 617/623-6538; www.islandcenter.org). As it is affiliated with the Massachusetts College of Art, some educational institutions grant credits for its courses.

Modern Greek

Formal educational institutions and private language institutes throughout the English-speaking world offer many courses. There are also decent courses on tape for self-study. Be sure it is modern Greek you study -- not classical Greek! If you are already in Greece, Athens Center for the Creative Arts, 48 Archimidou, Pangrati, 11636 Athens (tel. 210/701-2268), is highly recommended. School of Modern Greek Language of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki also offers summer courses (www.auth.gr/smg).

Personal Growth

Skyros Center, which can be contacted in the United Kingdom at 92 Prince of Wales Rd., London NW5 3NE (tel. 020/7267-4424; www.skyros.com), offers "personal growth" vacations on the island of Skyros, with courses in fitness, holistic health, creative writing, and handicrafts.

Cooking

Rosemary Barron, a food expert based in England, has for many years run a cooking school, Kandra Kitchen -- usually on Santorini -- in which participants learn not only how to prepare and appreciate Greek foods but also about the history of Greek food across the centuries and its value to us today (www.rosemarybarron.com). Diane Kochilas, a Greek-American expert on Greek foods, offers a variety of activities, including cooking classes in Athens and on Ikaria and culinary tours in Athens or throughout Greece (www.dianekochilas.com). Aglai Kremezi, an American-educated Greek authority on Greek food, runs a cooking school on the island of Kea (www.keaartisinal.com). And Nikki Rose, a Cretan-American professional chef, operates "seminars" on Crete that combine some travel with cooking lessons and investigations of Crete's diet (www.cookingincrete.com).