ROME — 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.
