George Clooney May No Longer Be Lake Como’s Most Famous Resident
Is Lake Como losig it’s honorary “Mayor?” According to reports, George Clooney is thinking about parting ways with his famed Italian manse. A source told Page Six Friday that the actor sneakily put his 18th-century Lake Como villa back on the market for a whopping $107 million (he bought the property over two decades ago for $10 million). “It’s very quiet. No advertising. No press — just high net worth [prospective buyers],” the insider said to the outlet.
Rumors of the potential sale have dated back to as early as 2010, mainly due to paparazzi concerns. Reportedly, photographers scaled the walls of the villa (which features a botanical garden, tennis courts, and an annex) to snap photos of the film star and his A-list guests. Adding fuel to the fire, the then-mayor of Laglio (the town where the lakefront house is located) Giuseppe Mantero allegedly attempted to build a “viewing dock” near Clooney’s villa.
“George loves the area and the people who live there, but is conscious of the attention he gets when he is in town,” a source told Page Six in 2015. “He has received a huge offer for the villa, which he is considering, and he would buy another, less accessible property in another area of Italy.”
While it is unclear if Clooney will relocate within the country, his villa served as a vacation destination for a host of Hollywood, political, and actual royalty. Actors Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were frequent guests, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski tied the knot at the pad, and even, Robert DeNiro and his ex-wife Grace Hightower were constant dinner attendees.
The space was not only an escape for the Clooneys and co. It also hosted several heads of state, including Barack and Michele Obama, who visited the locale in 2019. Unfortunately, the Obamas’ arrival was prematurely announced by the mayor which tipped off international press (of course, TMZ was able to snap photos of George and Barack). The Clooneys’ also had a minor snafu when they learned that their pool was not only unheated, but also half full. Thankfully, they resolved the issue ahead of the Obama visit, but it seems that the constant barrage of onlookers and hassles within the property began to wear on the couple.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also stopped by the villa in 2018, though their visit seemed to go much smoother than the Obamas’. While their visit was more low profile and sans paparazzi, per sources, the Clooneys enjoyed hosting the Duke and Duchess.
“The Clooneys had personally invited Meghan and Harry to their home at the beginning of the summer with an open invitation,” an insider told Us Weekly. “George and Amal were so happy to host Meghan and Harry. Harry and George have a special bond and friendship.”
The villa was a bachelor pad, of sorts, for George who bought the property in 2002 over a decade prior to his marriage to Amal. In addition to the paparazzi aspect, insiders allege that Amal prefers to stay at the couple’s Domaine du Canadel estate in Provence, France which they purchased in 2021. Luckily for the Clooneys, they have a roledex of real estate options to choose from—they also own property in Mexico, Los Angeles, Manhattan, and England.
