An American Actor Slips an Inch Off His Pedestal in Italy

Is Italy’s love affair with George Clooney over?

Hardly. The smoky-eyed heartthrob may be even more popular in Italy than he is in Hollywood, if such a thing is possible. But Clooney and his Italian neighbors have hit a rough patch in a dispute over waterfront property on scenic Lake Como, where the popular actor has put together a luxurious getaway amid verdant hills and centuries-old architecture.

“We have nothing against George Clooney,” said Roberto Pozzi, an opposition member of the town council of Laglio, on the shores of the sumptuous lake about an hour’s drive north of Milan. “I do think that he has gotten favorable treatment.”

The trouble began, as Laglio Mayor Giuseppe Mantero tells it, when Clooney and his associates applied to buy or lease -- either was fine with them -- a piece of lakefront property known as the Villa Margherita beach. Rumors started to spread that Clooney planned to block off public access to the lake there.

Pozzi and others began to grumble about the speed with which the superstar’s bids seemed to go through the approval process. They spoke nostalgically of the swims they and their families had enjoyed in the lake. It would be unjust, at the very least, to deny access to the public! As much as they loved Clooney, they said, he had to follow the rules like anybody else.

Generally in Italy, beachfront property belongs to the state and public access cannot be denied. Mantero, the mayor, said this particular patch of land had been classified years ago as “field,” not beach, and belonged to the town, not the state.

Mantero said he was certain everything would work out. After discussions, he said, Clooney and his associates agreed to bid for only a portion of the shoreline to allow Clooney to reinforce the foundation of one of his houses. They also will pay for improvements to the land, including the addition of sand, planting of trees and building of benches.

“They are going to present a new project with more respect for public access,” Mantero said in an interview from Laglio, adding that he didn’t think Clooney had gotten any special breaks.

“I don’t think we are giving him a favorable treatment, although he brings us fame,” Mantero said. “If it’s positive for our administration, we will accept any good project.”

A spokesman for Clooney in Los Angeles referred queries to Mantero.

That there is opposition at all must have come as a shock to Clooney. Until now, he has been treated as a god, and seemed to make an effort to keep up good relations with the neighbors.

Clooney began living part time in Laglio a few years ago, when he bought a 19th century palazzo and a second, larger villa in one of Italy’s best-known playgrounds for the elite and celebrated. He quickly turned his charm on the locals, who eagerly voted him an honorary citizen. He was readily granted permission to build a bridge connecting the two properties. He promised to learn Italian and pledged money for the schools.

Residents didn’t flinch when traffic in the area was blocked last year so Clooney could film a series of Fiat commercials, and the town again accommodated hordes of tourists and paparazzi when the actor hosted co-stars from last year’s filming of “Ocean’s Twelve,” including Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.

In this country where beauty is an art, Clooney is seen as a masterpiece. TV ads here for reruns of the series “ER” describe Clooney as the most beautiful man in the world.

“Thanks to him, there is more business and our town is now even marked on the map,” said Nearco Folloni, a Laglio bar owner, who added that the beach property in question was a neglected, trash-strewn, mice-infested spot that needed fixing up anyway.

Pozzi also is confident that the dispute will be resolved, as long as public access is guaranteed. He wrote an open letter to Clooney this month to explain his position: “Your proposal to purchase a portion of Villa Margherita beach has generated a big mess! However, I may assure you that in our being unfavorable to the beach matter, there is no revenge against a rich and famous star. We all like you because you are nice, even without knowing you.”

In the end, the flap is likely to be fixed one way or another because the Laglio leadership wants to keep Clooney happy.

“The fact that Clooney chose to have his home here in Laglio is not only positive for us, it’s positive for the Lombardy region and for the whole of Italy,” Mantero said. “Everybody knows now where Clooney’s home is, and they know it’s in Italy and not in France.”