George Clooney Lake Como
George Clooney Lake Como, that has bought a villa here and often spends his holidays here. It’s the perfect setting in which to break a million hearts. The eighteenth-century Villa Oleandra in Laglio is the very well-known summer residence of George Clooney Lake Como, who since 2002 has chosen this quiet village located on the western shore of Como Lake to spend his vacations, sometimes in the company of other Hollywood celebrities.
The complex of Villa Oleandra is present in the cadastral maps of Laglio since 1720, although with different shapes than the current state. In 1834, the owners of the time, the Stoppani family, built a first unification of the building with the surrounding land, then completed in 1868 by the family Antongini. In 1877, the building, which corresponded to the last current plan, went to the family Vitali. In the meantime, the whole complex had been converted into a residence, as shown by a reproduction of 1848. During the twentieth century Villa Oleandra was sold to American owners, the last of which was the family of the billionaire John Heinz.
In the summer of 2001, the heirs of the “King of ketchup” provided aid for the lost George Clooney, jilted by his Harley-Davidson just outside the gates of the villa. The American actor, who was taking a ride on the mighty Alps aboard his motorcycle, fell in love at first sight of Villa Oleandra, especially because of the breathtaking view that you could see from its windows, and soon decided to buy it for about 10 million dollars. Since then, the door of the luxury building, located in Via Vecchia Regina 20 and surrounded by a large botanical garden, was crossed by numerous Hollywood celebrities, all guests of George Clooney, including Cindy Crawford, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas.
In 2004, the actor made famous by the television series “E.R.” also became the owner of Villa Margherita, built in Art Nouveau style and located close to Villa Oleandra. The two properties communicate with each other through the bridge of Riva Soldino.
Every once in a while, there is talk that George Clooney is packing up and leaving his beloved Italy. Rumors recently flew he was selling his lovely 22-room Villa Oleandra on Lake Como, either because the paparazzi were starting to get to him or because the woman he is dating, Stacey Keibler, was having none of holidays in the home where he spent time with former love and Italian beauty Elisabetta Canalis. But it seems that’s just a bunch of talk and nothing can tear Clooney away from his passion for things Italian, not even a former WWF wrester nearly 20 years his junior.
What makes the Italian lakes region between Milan and Switzerland so appealing to prestigious Italians and foreigners alike, such as Clooney, Versace, and Virgin CEO Richard Branson? Of course the residence George Clooney Lake Como bought in 2001 for about $10million is spectacular and has served as a getaway as well as a location for parts of his blockbuster Oceans Twelve film with Brad Pitt, for Omega ads Clooney did, and for portraits of him shot by Annie Leibovitz. But it is important to know that Lake Como has been a retreat for the discerning since ancient Roman times, and remains one of Italy’s most popular travel destinations.