Castello Di Casole in Tuscany

With temperatures in the 100s almost everywhere this summer a trusted, cool refuge is always the swimming pool. At home recently, visiting my family in Marietta, I was oh-so-happy to take advantage of their neighborhood pool. I really felt like a kid again, grabbing my pool bag and towel and taking the 8-minute walk over to the tried and true Chimney Springs pool–only difference was that I didn’t go running as soon as the ice cream truck pulled up to the pool’s gate with its all-knowing bell ring. Rather, I chose to stay put, immersed in the perfect little heaven of shimmering blue water, albeit with a hefty dose of chlorine.

Now back in Rome, I am already nostalgic for a nice dip in a chilly body of water (not including my shower); I must check myself into the Radisson Blu (or any of the other paradise-like hotels listed below).