George Clooney's Beachrights Fight

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Mar 22nd 2005 at 8:09AM

George Clooney is no longer Italy's favorite adopted son. Clooney fell in love with the Lake Como region a few years ago and has been steadily buying up property. But a fracas erupted recently when Clooney decided he wanted to purchase a public access beach in the small town of Laglio. Townspeople are up in arms, some citing favoritism, while others are thrilled that Clooney has brought notoriety to such a small town. What makes this interesting, aside from the celebrity gawk factor, is that it is in the end the town is willing to go the extra mile for Clooney because he has revitalized their local area. In places where there is already a lot of celebrity wattage and tourist draw, towns are often less accomodating when it comes to building matters. But it is probably also a lot easier to get things done with a handshake and a promise in Italy, which may one of the reasons Clooney moved there in the first place.

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