George Clooney's villa on Lake Como, seen from the water.
George Clooney's villa on Lake Como is Villa Oleandra, on the lakeside road in Laglio, on the western shore of the Como branch: he bought it in 2002. It is a private home with no visits: you see its lake front from the water, from a boat that passes in front of it without stopping. Along the same branch of the lake a boat also passes Villa Erba ("Ocean's Twelve"), the former Versace villa, Villa Balbiano ("House of Gucci") and Villa del Balbianello ("Casino Royale", "Star Wars: Episode II").
The film and celebrity villas, from Como towards Bellagio
| Villa | Town | The story | Can you visit? | Our tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Erba | Cernobbio | Some scenes of "Ocean's Twelve" (2004); the summer home of Luchino Visconti | An events venue, not a museum | From 1 hour up |
| Villa d'Este | Cernobbio | Built between 1565 and 1570 for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio; from 1815 the home of Caroline of Brunswick, a hotel since 1873 | A hotel; park by reservation only | From 1 hour up |
| Villa Fontanelle | Moltrasio | The former Versace villa: bought by Gianni Versace in 1977, sold in 2008 | No: private residence | From 2 hours, on the way |
| Castello di Urio | Carate Urio | Bought by Belmond, the hotel group of LVMH, to become a hotel | Seen from the water | From 2 hours, on the way |
| Villa Oleandra | Laglio | George Clooney's home since 2002 | No: private home | 2, 3, 5 and 7 hours |
| Villa Pliniana | Torno | Named after Pliny the Younger, who described its intermittent spring; the set of "Malombra" (1942) | No: a private venue for stays and events | From 2 hours, on the way |
| Villa Balbiano | Ossuccio | The home of Aldo Gucci in "House of Gucci" (2021) | No: private | 3, 5 and 7 hours |
| Villa del Balbianello | Lenno | The clinic in "Casino Royale" (2006); Naboo in "Star Wars: Episode II" (2002) | Yes, owned by FAI: closed Monday and Wednesday | 3, 5 and 7 hours |
Villa Oleandra in Laglio: what is documented
Villa Oleandra is a historic lakeside villa on Via Regina in Laglio, on the western shore, between Carate Urio and Brienno. George Clooney bought it in 2002 from the Heinz family. It is a private home: there are no visits, and nobody knows in advance whether he is there. Over the years the municipality of Laglio has issued more than one order to keep people and boats at a distance from the villa, which is why the boat passes in front of it and does not stop.
See the 2-hour Classic Lake Como tourCernobbio: Villa Erba and Villa d'Este
Villa Erba was built between 1894 and 1898 for Luigi Erba. It was the family home of Carla Erba, mother of the film director Luchino Visconti, who spent his summers here and later edited "Ludwig" at the villa. Some scenes of "Ocean's Twelve" (2004) were shot here: in the film it is the villa of the thief François Toulour. Today it is an exhibition and congress centre. Next door, Villa d'Este was built between 1565 and 1570 for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and has been a hotel since 1873: from the lake you see the main building, the garden rising behind it and the floating swimming pool. The grounds are for hotel guests, and the park can be visited by reservation only.
See the 1-hour Como Highlights tourMoltrasio, Carate Urio and Torno: Fontanelle, Castello di Urio, Pliniana
Villa Fontanelle in Moltrasio is the former Versace villa: built in the first half of the 19th century at the water's edge, bought by Gianni Versace in 1977 and sold in 2008. His guests in those years included Elton John, Princess Diana, Sting and Madonna. Today it is a private residence. Castello di Urio, in Carate Urio, is an old lakeside villa reshaped in the 19th century with turrets and battlements: it was bought by Belmond, the hotel group of LVMH, to become a hotel. On the opposite shore, in Torno, Villa Pliniana was completed in 1577 and is named after Pliny the Younger, who described in a letter the intermittent spring that still rises and falls in its courtyard; Mario Soldati shot "Malombra" (1942) here. It is a private venue for stays and events, not a museum. None of the three is a named stop of our tours, but they stand on the shores the boat follows between Cernobbio, Laglio and Nesso on the 2, 3, 5 and 7-hour tours: ask the skipper to point them out.
See the villas of Lake Como by boatThe centre of the lake: Villa Balbiano and Villa del Balbianello
Villa Balbiano, in Ossuccio, is a 17th-century villa with a formal Italian garden on the shore. In "House of Gucci" (2021, directed by Ridley Scott) it is the home of Aldo Gucci, played by Al Pacino. It is private and not open to the public. A little further on, Villa del Balbianello stands on the tip of a wooded headland in Lenno. In "Casino Royale" (2006) it is the clinic where James Bond recovers with Vesper, and in "Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones" (2002) it is the lake retreat on Naboo. It belongs to FAI and it is the villa on this list that you enter with a ticket: in 2026 it is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays, booking is mandatory, the park costs 15 EUR and villa with park 25 EUR.
How to get to Villa del Balbianello by boatWhich tour passes which villa
The Como Highlights tour (1 hour, 270 EUR per boat) stays in the first basin: Como, Villa Olmo, Villa Erba and Villa d'Este. It does not reach Laglio. The Classic Lake Como tour (2 hours, 500 EUR) adds Villa Oleandra, Nesso and Villa Troubetzkoy in Blevio. The Bellagio & Villas tour (3 hours, 700 EUR) goes on to Isola Comacina, Villa Balbiano, Villa del Balbianello and Bellagio, with a 30-minute stop ashore. The 5-hour (1,100 EUR) and 7-hour (1,500 EUR) tours add Villa Melzi and longer stops. Prices are per boat, for up to 7 guests; outside Como, Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Blevio and Carate Urio a boarding supplement applies.
What a boat can and cannot do in front of a private villa
Private villas are seen from the water: there is no going ashore at Villa Oleandra, Villa Fontanelle, Villa Balbiano, Villa Pliniana or Castello di Urio. Lombardy's navigation rules limit motorboats close to the shore: within 50 metres you may only leave or land, under 5 knots, and between 50 and 150 metres the limit is 10 knots. So the villas are seen slowly and from a distance, which is also the distance at which the facades and gardens are seen whole. We never stop in front of Villa Oleandra, and we never promise that anyone is at home.
Why see the villas from a private boat
Nearly all these villas are private and closed to visitors, and their fronts, gardens and landings are on the lake side. Villa Pliniana is hard to see from the road: the lake is its natural viewpoint.
- Villa Oleandra is on the route of the 2, 3, 5 and 7-hour tours
- A boat for your group only, up to 7 guests, with a skipper who speaks English and Italian
- From 500 EUR per boat for 2 hours: about 71 EUR each for a group of 7
- A bottle of Prosecco, soft drinks, beer, water and fuel included
- Boarding at the jetty you choose: no supplement in Como, Cernobbio, Moltrasio, Blevio and Carate Urio
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Villa Oleandra from the water
We pass in front of Villa Oleandra, George Clooney's home in Laglio since 2002, on the 2, 3, 5 and 7-hour tours. We pass, we do not stop.
Frequently asked questions
In brief
Where is George Clooney's villa on Lake Como?
In Laglio, on the western shore of the Como branch, on the lakeside road Via Regina. It is called Villa Oleandra and he bought it in 2002.
Can you visit Villa Oleandra?
No. It is a private home with no visits: you see it from the water, from a boat that passes in front of it without stopping.
Will we see George Clooney?
Nobody can tell you that. Whether he is at home is never known in advance: what a tour shows you is the villa.
Book your private boat tour
Choose the tour, the boarding point and the date: the price is per boat, for up to 7 guests, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
