Gelateria del Teatro, Rome
Rome is hotter than Hades in the summer and there’s no relief, except for top-quality gelato. (Susan Spano / Los Angeles Times)
Sturtevant Falls, Angeles National Forest, Calif.
What better way to cool down than take a brisk hike through the forest during the dead of the summer? No, really. You’ll find Sturtevant Falls, a 50-or-so-foot cascading waterfall at the end of a trek into Big Santa Anita Canyon. (Jason La / Los Angeles Times)
The upper Kern River, Kernville, Calif.
This relentlessly chilly ribbon of water in California’s parched center is as refreshing as a float trip can be. This time of year, the river slows, making it an ideal inner-tube run. Bring your own tube, and for $5, raft companies such as Sierra South will shuttle you to a drop-in point. Take an hour -- or several. The trips run at your own pace; (800) 457-2082. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
