Ravella at Lake Las Vegas

The Venetian, on the Las Vegas Strip, isn’t the only place where Italy is re-created in Nevada’s Mojave Desert. Consider Ravella, a sprawling, 349-room resort on the shores of Lake Las Vegas, just 17 miles east of Sin City. Here, Tuscan-inspired architecture evokes old-world grandeur, while a white-sand beach, Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course, and dozens of hiking and jogging trails mean that travelers spend plenty of time outdoors—with frequent dips in the pool, of course. The best rooms are in the Bridge wing, designed to look like the Ponte Vecchio, while the Firenze Lounge is the spot for small plates, including sliced prosciutto and Italian olives. But unlike the Renaissance city, or even Venice’s condensed version on the Strip, at Ravella, you’ll end the evening casually dressed, roasting s’mores at the open-air fire pit.