George Clooney Selling Famous Lake Como Villa He's Owned for 21 Years
The actor has been an active member of the local community since purchasing the home in 2002 that he now shares with wife Amal and their twins
George Clooney is reportedly selling his Lake Como villa after 21 years.
Villa Oleandra, owned by the Oceans 11 actor, 62, is currently up for sale according to Italian weekly magazine, Oggi. On Wednesday, real estate agent Yasemin Baysal of Engel & Volkers in Como told the outlet that despite previous rumors of a sale, "this time it's true" and went on to reveal that a Milan agency, who she would not name, is handling the sale.
Baysal and Engel & Volkers in Como and Milan did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
However, a local Italian source tells PEOPLE that the news of the sale is "real."
Estimates of the price of the property owned by the actor — who married lawyer Amal Clooney in 2014 and welcomed their twins Alexander and Ella in June 2017 — are currently as high as $100 million.
Noting George's financial acumen, the insider says to PEOPLE: "It must be said that over and above being a very good actor and investor, he’s also an extremely shrewd investor, given that he bought the villa for 10 million euros."
The actor reportedly bought Villa Oleandra from the Heinz family in 2002 for approximately $10 million, according to The Washington Post, which reported that the star’s arrival to Lake Como led to a real estate boom in which asking prices doubled, according to the mayor of Laglio.
Clooney later purchased an adjacent property, making it “one of the largest private homes in the area,” accordingThe Wall Street Journal . The 25-room villa's value was estimated at more than $100 million in 2022, according to the outlet.
Lake Como is special for the actor on a personal level: it was there in 2013 that he first met his wife Amal, 45, as he revealed in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. At the time, Amal joined a group dinner at George's home while passing through Lake Como en route to Cannes, France. “I thought she was beautiful, and I thought she was funny and obviously smart,” he told THR.
In a 2018 episode of David Letterman's Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, George recalled their first meeting. “I got a call from my agent who said, ‘I met this woman who is coming to your house, who you’re going to marry,'" he said. "It really worked out that way.” The couple would later marry in 2014 at the Aman Canal Grande resort in Venice.
Lake Como has naturally been the setting of many a romantic date night for the couple, including, most recently, one at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in July.
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George has previously hosted many celeb friends at the villa over the years.
In 2004, the cast of Ocean’s Twelve, which starred George, visited the villa. Then In 2018, Jennifer Aniston stayed at the property while filming her comedy Murder Mystery. Emily Blunt and John Krasinkski got married there in 2010. Krasinski revealed to Elle in 2016 how George offered up his estate to the couple: "Only on the fourth ask did I say yes. Because the first three times I thought, there's no way he is serious," he shared.
George played a part in aiding the region when it was hit by heavy rain and landslides during the summer of 2021. At the time, 60 residents were evacuated, per the Evening Standard. George went on to tour the damage and help residents in the clean-up efforts. He said of the damage: "It's much worse than I thought. I have spoken to the mayor — there will be a lot of work, it will take millions of dollars, but this city is strong. It will react and return better than before. This is a very resilient city."
In an interview with the U.K. Times, local mayor Roberto Pozzi said the actor "came straight to the town hall to see what had happened and we took a tour of the damage.”
The star had also been active in Lake Como’s affairs in 2007 when he called on his neighbors to sign a petition protesting plans for the construction of a parking facility and pontoon bridge, The New York Times reported. He said at a protest committee meeting: “The building work is only being done because I live here. And unless it stops I’m going to have to move.”
In 2019, George teamed up with fundraising organization Omaze for a contest in which a lucky couple could meet the Clooneys at their villa. Donations raised from the campaign benefited the Clooney Foundation for Justice, and the package included lunch with George and Amal, round-trip airfare and 4-star hotel accommodations. In a scripted message, the actor said on behalf of the campaign: “Just picture it: You and Amal, wine in your hand discussing current affairs while her husband quietly serves lunch.”
The Clooneys also have various other properties around the world, including in France, the U.K. and in Los Angeles.
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