George and Amal Clooney deny selling their Lake Como estate, but the Italians disagree (for $107 million)

In Italy, a veritable storm of speculation erupted on September 20 when the weekly magazine Oggi published an article claiming that George Clooney, the famous American actor and resident of Italy, had decided to sell his Villa Oleandra. The value of this property, according to the Journal, will be in excess of $100 million dollars. The news soon made its way across the Atlantic and was picked up by the US media, including US publication People.

The Clooneys themselves, however, have expressed a very different opinion, stating that their property, which includes four homes, including the main 25-room Oleander villa, is definitely not for sale. People has since retracted its original article, quoting a Clooney family spokesman as saying they first learned of the sale of their villa from the New York Post.

The Italian media, however, continued to discuss the topic vigorously, as usual. The fire broke out after realtor Yasemin Baisal, responsible for the north of Italy at the prestigious firm Engel and Völkers, admitted to Oggi that she had a client interested in buying Villa Oleander. Baisal named a Milan-based realtor who owns a list of properties worth 100 million euros, but did not give his name. She also stated that she valued the property in the range of 60 to 70 million euros.

Then rumors began to surface in the Italian press that George Clooney's wife, Amal, was allegedly interested in selling the villa as she didn't particularly like it due to the quiet atmosphere of Lake Como and the lack of brightness in the village of Laglio. Unlike Provence on the Côte d'Azur, where, as Oggi's editors emphasize, there are many celebrity events and where the Clooney family has purchased their hideaway.

Of course, given that Ms. Clooney is French-speaking and grew up in the Middle East, she would naturally feel comfortable in the south of France and perhaps that was one of the reasons for acquiring property in Provence - so that the children could enjoy a real seawater beach, something lacking in the lakes of Italy. However, neither Clooney himself nor his wife believe that their villa on Lake Como and house in Provence are mutually exclusive options. They now have enough money to purchase property in Provence without selling their Oleander villa.

There is no need to be certain that Baysal is a real estate professional, but if there were, it could be noted that she stated in an interview with Oggi that the rumors about the sale of Clooney's villa have been around for several years and this time they were true.

But for the sale of Villa Oleander to become a fact, it is necessary for the money to be handed over and the property to be registered with the Lallo registry.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that there is an Italian tradition of creating myths about George and Amal Clooney ever leaving Italy. There have been rumors for years about the sale of Oleander Villa. It's a kind of tragicomedy based on the age-old rivalries between Italy and France. Just as the princes of Venice and Lombardy competed with those of Languedoc and Provence, so the regions compete in popularity among celebrities who purchase property. George Clooney is the Italian symbol of attraction and affection for this country. He met his wife at the Villa Oleander, and the wedding was performed in Venice. Clooney is always striving to make the places where he lives better. He was active in helping Como and Lallo during the floods a few years ago. Losing him would be a great loss for Italy and Italians, especially in favor of the more glitzy and wealthy Côte d'Azur of France.

The occasional rumor that the great Clooney will leave Italy for good with a lot of money can be interpreted as the expression of a nightmare. Italy is trying to imagine life without Clooney.