Leading Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi has come to the defense of George Clooney after the recent controversy over the ban to get near his residence on Lake Como.
The mayor of Laglio, the town on Lake Como where Clooney owns Villa Oleandra, has issued two ordinances that forbid to get close to Clooney’s home either on foot or on boats via the lake until September 30, when the Hollywood star is said to be leaving the area.
There have been reports in the local press that the actor threatened to get out of Laglio if he could not be guaranteed enough privacy, which caused some to describe him as the typical spoiled celebrity who even robs visitors of the pleasure to enjoy the beauty of the area.
Taking sides with Clooney, Sgarbi has penned a letter addressed to him, which was published on the Italian weekly Di Più, where he describes the actor as “a monument” for Italy, and, as such, needing to be safeguarded.
“For one thing, those who think you’re a foreigner are wrong. For me, being Italian does not mean having an Italian passport: it means to love Italy, to celebrate its beauty, to choose it as your residence. And there is no doubt, dear George, that you should be counted among the great Italians, because you made a beautiful piece of Italy famous in the world. Thanks to you, tourism in the area has increased by 138 percent, and the wealth of Laglio and its surroundings has more than doubled, benefiting all the inhabitants. You must be rewarded for this with affection and respect.”
Preventing people from getting close the actor’s house is not a privilege, according to Sgarbi: “For me it is not a privilege, it is a measure similar to one taken by a mayor closing to vehicular traffic the historic center of a city or the area surrounding a monument. In a sense, my dear George, you're a monument, too.”
Well, who would argue with that?!
