Is George Clooney saying arrivederci to his longtime Lake Como estate?
Well, not if you ask him. Rumors have been circulating that the 62-year-old actor is offloading the iconic Villa Oleandra. However, the Ocean’s Eleven star recently assured People that any speculation of a sale is false. “The first I heard of it was when Page Six published the story. Everyone picked it up. It’s not true,” Clooney told the outlet via a rep. Sorry to disappoint.
It all started earlier this month when a source close to the ER actor told Page Six that the famous villa in Laglio was on the market sotto voce for an eye-watering €100 million ($107 million), which is about 10 times the $10 million he paid for the place back in 2002. “It’s very quiet. No advertising. No press—just high net worth [prospective buyers],” they said. Then, just last week, real estate agent Yasemin Baysal, owner of Engel & Volkers Lago di Como, told Italy’s Oggi magazine that Clooney was definitely parting ways with his pad of over 20 years and that the spread might even have a buyer.
“Rumors were also circulating in past years, but this time it’s true. An agency in Milan is following the sale. I can’t reveal which one. Since we have a certain type of clientele, someone has already called us,” Baysal explained to the publication. “In particular, one customer is very interested. We have started all the necessary checks before submitting a possible offer.”
George Clooney has denied reports that he’s selling his 18th-century villa on Italy’s Lake Como.
GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images
Even though the agent swears it’s true, the two-time Oscar winner has since denied her statement. Oggi also reported that the reason for the rumored sale is because his lawyer wife, Amal Clooney, prefers to spend time in Provence, where the couple owns the 425-acre wine estate Domaine du Canadel.
The 18th-century residence is one of the largest lakeside homes in the area and comprises a whopping 25 rooms, plus a swimming pool, a private gym, a movie theater, a basketball court, and two boat docks. Villa Oleander had previously been owned by the late billionaire condiment heir John Heinz and his wife Teresa; it was Heinz’s heirs who sold the property to Clooney.
According to The Wall Street Journal, homes in the prime waterfront villages along Lake Como are going for twice as much compared to the area’s landlocked properties, mainly because single-family homes on the shore of the pristine lake rarely hit the market. That means, no matter the asking price, if and when Clooney does decide to part ways with his famous villa, we can probably expect a bidding war.
Source: Luxury - robbreport.com
