The last two days we have seen the generosity of many. Duchess Meghan kicked off her 40th birthday with her 40×40 initiative encouraging mentoring and service. Meghan isn’t the only generous person in her friend group. George Clooney has been seen in his adopted town of Laglio, Italy. Laglio recently suffered massive landslides from unprecedented flooding last month. George, who is in town with his family for the summer, wanted to find ways to help his neighbors who were affected. George contacted the local council about how he could help rebuild the town and assist the 60 residents who had to be evacuated. Mayor Roberto Pozzi told People that George was gracious about taking pictures with locals.
According to the Evening Standard, 60 local residents had to be evacuated due to the storm.
Local mayor Roberto Pozzi tells PEOPLE that Clooney, who is in Italy with wife Amal and twins Ella and Alexander, 4, “wanted to get a first hand idea of what was going on.”
“He came over to the local city council on his own, by foot, and then together we went to see the landslide,” Pozzi says. “He wanted to understand in person what had happened. He was very impacted by what he saw. He told us he would take some initiatives to help.”
Pozzi thinks The Tender Bar director wanted to show support and also raise awareness by making a personal appearance and taking photos with locals.
“His stopping to be photographed by people that asked him showed his commitment to supporting the recovery. It shows how keen he is, how interested he is in this area of which he has already been made an honorary citizen,” says Pozzi. “It’s pretty clear that after 20 years here in Laglio, he cares. If he weren’t profoundly attached to the town he would have gone somewhere else. He is sincerely attached to this town.”
Local resident and journalist Daniela Colombo also praised Clooney for getting “his feet firmly entrenched in the mud.”
“He had his photo taken with anyone locally who asked him for a photo,” explains Colombo. “He was really considerate as he realized this visit would give visibility to the natural disaster that had taken place, and would be of support to the area and to the people who had lost their homes in this disaster. It was really kind and generous of him to do this.”
This George Clooney news just warmed my heart. I love when people take the time to give back. It shows that they aren’t so self-absorbed which could be easy when you are as rich as the Clooneys. I also enjoyed reading how George was so gracious with the locals and took pictures with them. Some high and not so high profile celebrities would never. When I meet a celebrity I tend not to ask them for a photo because I don’t like invading people’s space. In this case I think it just made George feel more like a part of the community. I am looking forward to seeing what George does to help the community of Laglio. The devastation in Italy and Germany has affected so many people. If George does a fundraiser I hope to donate whatever I can. Italy is also like a second home to me. I transitioned from teenager to adulthood in Sicily. I definitely have a love for the country and its people who were so warm and welcoming to me.
photos via People, Facebook and Instagram
George Clooney has been spending summer in Italy for ages, and the lake where is house is is full or rich people, I guess they are sort of used to them, and probably they are quite descreet.
George Clooney seems like a nice warm person, this was an awful moment, so it was a nice gesture.
George seems to have created a good relationship with the town and its leadership. And they reciprocate — they passed a “no loitering” law for boaters on Lake Como so George and Amal don’t have to deal with tens of boats dropping anchor right outside their villa.
George seems to have created a good relationship with the town and its leadership. And they reciprocate — they passed a “no loitering” law for boaters on Lake Como so George and Amal don’t have to deal with tens of boats dropping anchor right outside their villa.
George seems to have created a good relationship with the town and its leadership. And they reciprocate — they passed a “no loitering” law for boaters on Lake Como so George and Amal don’t have to deal with tens of boats dropping anchor right outside their villa.
Even just taking the pictures has raised awareness – I mean now we’re talking about it, right? – and I’m sure he’ll do more. I don’t know, I have a soft spot in my heart for him, he seems like a really genuine guy who is very comfortable with his place in life right now. I love him on John Oliver.
Exactly. I knew about the flooding and landslides in Germany, but had no idea that they had happened in Italy as well. Raising awareness helps with raising money and he’s very good at both of those things.
For the sake of raising awareness, Turkey has also had really bad flooding this summer, not to mention horrendous forest fires in the south. And still there are people who don’t believe in climate change.
I hope the other rich people who own homes there also donate money (I am assuming George is donating money because he seems to do that fairly frequently). It was nice of him to meet with the local authorities and see what happened.
My only comment is that George’s unwavering commitment to Dad Jeans is hilarious!