Hollywood
actor
George
Clooney
has
joined
in
the
chorus
of
protest
over
the
construction
of
parking
lots
and
a
promenade
in
the
northern
lakeside
Italian
town
of
Laglio,
located
on
the
banks
of
the
lake
Como.
He
fears
that
his
presence
is
turning
the
serene
town
into
a
bustling
tourist
destination.
He
was
among
the
300
townspeople
who
signed
the
petition
against
the
planned
construction.
Clooney
has
communicated
the
same
in
an
e-mail
to
The
Associated
Press
on
Friday.
In
his
e-mail
he
wrote
that
he
was
concerned
that
the
tranquility
of
a
village
that
has
stood
for
hundreds
of
years
would
be
destroyed
simply
because
he
happened
to
live
there
for
the
past
six
years;
hence
he
took
this
step
in
consonance
with
the
villagers'
sentiments.
Clooney
said
that
their
petition
appeared
to
have
had
the
desired
effect,
as
the
Mayor
announced
on
Sunday
that
at
least
some
of
the
plans
of
the
impending
project
have
been
scrapped.
He
further
wrote
that
the
petition
was
signed
by
three-fourths
of
the
people
in
the
town,
which
was
testament
to
the
character
of
the
people
in
Laglio.
The
tourist
influx
to
the
town
has
increased
since
Clooney
moved
to
the
area.
Telephonic
inquiries
made
to
the
mayor's
office
in
the
Laglio
City
Hall
were
not
immediately
returned,
but
committee
chairperson
Manuela
Nuti,
in
a
telephonic
conversation,
said
that
as
per
her
knowledge,
only
a
part
of
the
$18.8
million
project
has
been
shelved.
She
also
praised
Clooney's
participation
in
the
protest,
saying
it
was
of
extraordinary
importance
for
the
cause,
and
lauded
Clooney
for
always
keeping
himself
informed
about
things
happening
in
the
town.