Gargnano, Italy
How tough could it have been for Benito Mussolini to be virtually incarcerated for two years at this late-19th-century mansion, with its fanciful turrets and crenellations reflected in northern Italy's Lake Garda?
Amenities at the estate, which has 13 mansion bedrooms and nine more in three cottages and a boathouse, range from midnight snacks in the pantry to complimentary laundry and valet services and free mini-bar drinks, including beer and wine. A Michelin-starred restaurant, hand-painted frescoes, parquet floors, and a swimming pool would make this a marvelous retreat indeed - especially with roommates such as Richard Gere, who has been known to stay here. But if you really must escape this Italian idyll (named "No. 1 International Hideaway" in Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report for two years running), do it in style in the villa's convertible Bentley, aboard a Riva speedboat, or on the 53-foot pleasure craft La Contessa.