We’re at a restored picture-perfect farmhouse up in the hills of Lucca on the vineyard and olive groves that are owned by Piero Tartagini and Francesca Pardini, taking a cooking lesson from Zeela Rubenstein and her husband Mauro Gehigani ....

 Everyone is watching. We’re in the ancient Coliseum in Rome but these gladiators won’t fight to the death, thank goodness. They’re not slaves or prisoners of war. 

Wherever I’ve been this summer, I’ve noticed more young kids chowing down in sophisticated environs while their parents, who’ve encouraged them to experiment with unfamiliar foods, paid for privilege. And chefs are welcoming them (as long as they don’t upset other diners) with healthier offerings, more interesting kids’ menus, smaller portions and even visits to the restaurant’s organic garden. 

 It’s only a half mile but a steep 40 per cent grade makes it seem much longer.  After all the eating aboard the Disney Magic (www.disneycruise.com) as we cruise the Med, we’re glad for the exercise as we head to one of the most famous volcano craters in the world. Mt. Vesuvius.... 

 DAY SIX It’s all about the swish of your hips.  We’re at Douar Laroussi about an hour from where the Disney Magic (www.disneycruise.com)is anchored this morning in Tunis, Tunisia in North Africa....

 DAY FIVE – We’re in Malta, so where are the Knights?   The city of Valetta, Malta’s capitol, was built by the Knights of St. John who came here in 1530 to protect the pilgrims. 

 Imagine if you could only get into your office or house via toeholds carved into rock. Imagine cooking by tossing a hot rock into a waterproofed basket filled with stew fixings and grinding corn with a rock. Imagine living with your family in small stone rooms. Imagine no TV or video games to entertain the kids — just stories passed down from generation to generation.

 My mission: To see if the Disney Cruise Line  can do as good a job for teens as they do for younger kids. Can they make cities like Florence and Rome interesting to kids who prefer malls to museums? ....

 Nantucket — the only place in America that has the same name for the island, the county and the town — does have a well-deserved reputation for being preppy. “It is the only place you can wear pink pants and get away with it,”says one local....

 The kids are climbing up a 32 foot ladder, squeezing through a tunnel, walking in toe holds carved into the sandstone, learning all about archeology, Native American culture and ancient history as they go....