When you Google the name Laglio, the results show images of green landscapes, romantic landscapes, magnificent millionaire mansions on the shores of Lake Como, the third largest in Italy. But now the scenario is different. The torrential rains that hit the center of Europe left a trail of rubble behind them, water invaded every corner, forced families to leave their homes and created a huge fear of what will happen later.
But now, out of the chaos, an unexpected hero emerged: to alleviate the suffering of the most affected, the American actor George Clooney, who has been in love with the region for over 20 years and the owner villa by the lake, he “rolled up his sleeves” and promises to help everyone that is needed.
Catastrophe
Last Tuesday, July 27, clouds covered the sky with a large black patch and “opened the doors” to heavy rain, leading to a scenario of “terror” for the inhabitants of northern Italy.
While rains lasting more than three days destroyed the less stable houses, residents sought safe places to hide. Mud and debris descended from the mountains and rained down on this one of the most prestigious tourist areas in Italy. But from there there may be his salvation: this area is often visited by famous names on the big screens. And George Clooney was one of the first to help.
Since 2002, the Villa Oleandra mansion has been the place that the actor and his family choose for summer holidays. Clooney spent 12 million euros on this “little paradise” that his family and friends enjoyed. With sensational views of the water and the Alps, an imposing villa It has 25 halls, its own pier, an open-air cinema and a huge park, which was the arena of solidarity actions organized by the artist. The Obamas were the last lucky recipients of a long list of dignitaries at the mansion. But names like The Dukes of Sussex, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Jenniffer Aniston, Michael Douglas, and Catherine Zeta Jones, among other stars, have passed through her. Last summer, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent a short honeymoon vacation with George, Amal and their children.
Although this period of the pandemic prevented owners from returning to Villa Oleandra as often as they would like, the family had already been there for several weeks at the time of the disaster. And Clooney wasted no time. He immediately went to the hardest hit areas and, along with other volunteers, helped with the removal and removal of debris. He went on to announce that he would use his visibility to try to raise funds for Laglio, not least because his own mansion was damaged and destroyed by rain-washed mud and debris.
IN SEARCH OF SUSTAINABILITY
According to Roberto Pozzi, Mayor of Laglio, in a statement to the British newspaper Time, “Clooney quickly solved the problem on his own.” “He went straight to the municipality to find out what happened, and we took a walk to check the damage,” Pozzi explained. “I was very worried and said that I want to help. We are going to raise funds and he will use his own ‘channels’ for this so that we can help people who are left homeless, ”he added.
Clooney himself spoke on Italian television and began by apologizing for not being able to speak the language: “This is much worse than I thought,” he said in English. “In Cernobbio [uma cidade mais ao sul] the situation is serious, and in Laglio it is even worse. I spoke with the president and it will be a great job. It will cost millions of dollars! But I believe that this city is strong, Roberto Pozzi will react, and it will turn into something even better than it was before. It is a city with a great ability to resist, ”he defended.
“Anyone who comes to Laglio will pull out their hair because of the severity of the situation,” confirmed Pozzi. Once… “About half a million cubic meters of materials flooded the city. We need the government to declare a state of emergency and provide us with additional financial support, ”he asked. to the english newspaper The sunPozzi added that he was forced to “order the evacuation of 60 residents living in hazardous areas, and four houses near George’s house were destroyed during the flood.”
OR “COAT” FROM CLOONEY
Clooney’s relationship with the entire Lake Como region and in particular with Laglio, which has only 900 inhabitants, has a long history. In 2004, the Laglio City Council named him “an honored citizen”, expressing the wish that the artist stay there “for a long time.” “His connection to the city is already a legacy that no one can take from us,” said then-mayor Giuseppe Mantero. But, despite the fact that the shooting location always met the expectations of the actor, in 2010 such wide publicity caused problems: not only the actor’s friends came. Fans began to invade Oleandra’s villa, and it was assumed that the actor was planning to sell it. Thus, in order to avoid harassment and unwanted guests, a rule was issued in 2014 prohibiting approaching the mansion at a distance of less than 100 meters, at the risk of paying a fine of 500 euros.