A Lucia Watson [chef/owner of Lucia's Restaurant in Minneapolis] has a place in France that she rents out. There's a link from the restaurant's homepage (www.lucias.com). Do you know of any other Minnesota chefs who offer vacation rentals? I think it would be really interesting to stay at one of their places.

Q What a delicious question. My Taste section colleagues and I don't know of any other local chefs who offer vacation rentals, though there are several tours to consider.

Before we get to that, a bit about Watson's French getaway, Mason de Granit: The three-bedroom granite rowhouse is in Brittany, on France's northwest coast. No surprise, the kitchen is stocked with cookbooks, good cookware, a center island and a cozy table. For more cooking inspiration, look to the grand dining room, a terrace with a large wooden table for alfresco meals, and the Wednesday open-air market that is, according to Watson, "literally out our front door." Rates are $1,600 for five nights, beginning on Monday or Tuesday, and $2,300 for nine nights, beginning on Friday or Saturday. The rental's website, www.maisondegranit.com, provides more details, including a peek at what Watson did during her last trip there (sea kayaking) and a few Breton- inspired recipes.

I dug up three tours that feature local foodies.

Michael Rostance, top toque at Broders' Pasta Bar in Minneapolis (www.broders.com), has been leading small-group tours in Umbria, Italy, since 1999. Participants stay in a 14th-century palazzo in Spoleto and take day trips around the region. "We have cooking lessons, do wine and olive oil tastings, hunt truffles, that kind of thing," Rostance said. The chef's longtime relationships with Italians in the region result in some unique experiences, such as making mozzarella with a cheesemaker there. The next trip is scheduled for Nov. 3-13; prices, excluding airfare, begin at $3,799; for more information, go to www.umbriantable.com.

Local cookbook author and cooking instructor Mary Ellen Evans has a home in Provence, France, and offers tours to that region. Evans is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Les Dames d'Escoffier. With her expert guidance, participants explore the culinary good life of Provence, stopping at bakeries, wineries and markets, with lessons along the way. The next tour with availability is slated for Sept. 19-27; price, excluding transport to Avignon, is $2,845 for double occupancy; more info at www.thewritecook.com/tours.

For a trip closer to home, consider touring the Apostle Islands with local food writer Beth Dooley. During the morning, you'll kayak, hike or hang on a beach. In the afternoon, you'll visit small local farms and fisheries, stocking up for the campfire cooking to come. Cost is $695. Learn more about the Aug. 4-7 trip, hosted by Minneapolis-based tour operator Wilderness Inquiry, at www.wilder nessinquiry.org (search for Dooley).

KERRI WESTENBERG

RAIL UPDATE

High-speed to Duluth The federal government on Monday awarded Minnesota $5 million to develop plans for a high-speed rail line between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The money was part of $2 billion in awards announced by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and intended to speed up trains in the Northeast Corridor and expand service in the Midwest. "We're real pleased," said Dan Krom, who heads the passenger rail office for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. "It's a project that the Federal Rail Administration has embraced." Krom said the award allows Minnesota to move forward with engineering plans for the line, which is intended to have 110-mile-per-hour service.

PAT DOYLE

THIS JUST IN

Movies on board, by Wi-Fi The days when every passenger in the cabin of a long-haul flight has to watch the same family-friendly movie on an overhead screen are coming to an end. American Airlines has announced it is testing an in-flight video system that enables passengers to wirelessly stream movies and TV shows from an onboard library to their laptops and other electronic devices. If all goes well, American said, it will be the first domestic airline to provide streaming service on all Wi-Fi-enabled planes, starting this fall.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

SIDEROADS

Two cities to celebrate Dylan A double dose of celebrating will mark the 70th birthday of Minnesota native Bob Dylan in Duluth and Hibbing, Minn., this month. Duluth's Dylan Fest runs May 23-28 at sites throughout the city. Highlights include live music, an art show, a North Shore Scenic Railroad ride to Two Harbors and back with musical entertainment, and a film festival (www.bobdylanway.com). In Hibbing from May 26 to 29, fans can find a Bobby Zimmerman Bus Tour, singer/songwriter contests, plays and more music (www.dylandays.com; 1-866-305-3849).

COLLEEN A. COLES