People
George Clooney welcomes friends including Cindy Crawford to his plush lakeside home in Italy
By MARCUS BARNES
It's the kind of place where most people would love to able to host a dinner party or spend a weekend living it up.
So unsurprisingly, George Clooney, 50, often invites his friends to join him at his home on Lake Como in Italy.
This week his guests included supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber.
Host with the Co-most: George Clooney invited a gaggle of friends over to his 30-room Italian villa, located on Lake Como
The 45-year-old and her German spouse took to the waters of Lake Como for a spot of paddleboarding.
Cindy and Rande both stood atop large boards and calmly paddled along enjoying the amazing views around the famous lake.
Wearing a short pattered summer dress, Cindy took the paddling in her stride on her yellow board.
And husband Rande was just as casual with his paddling, soaking up the Italian sun as he glided across the water.
A far cry from the weekend's activities when he was seen dressed up in leathers ready to hit the road with Clooney and U2 star Bono, who is also staying at the Hollywood actor's plush lakeside villa.
Bono, his wife Alison and their children are also staying at Clooney's Italian home, which would make for a full house in any normal home but would barely fill the 30-room villa.
George later took a large group of friends out for a boat ride on the lake, where they enjoyed drinks as dusk began to fall.
Last year the villa was at the centre of a bidding war after Clooney became disillusioned with being photographed at the plush villa and put it up for sale.
It was reported that David Beckham was keen to buy it, and negotiations reportedly reached an 'advanced stage'.
Clooney is said to have bought the villa in the town of Laglio for £10million in 2002.
At the time Mayor Roberto Pozzi, said: 'It would be a shame if George went. He has become one of the locals.
'If George does leave I hope the Beckhams buy the place as it will keep a touch of glamour in Laglio.'
Clooney is in Italy ahead of the 68th annual Venice Film Festival.
The event kicks off tomorrow, with his hotly anticipated Ides of March movie leading the way.
Clooney is expected to draw screaming crowds on the opening day and will be hoping to snag his first Golden Lion as a director after winning best screenplay and best actor in Venice in 2005 for Goodnight and Goodluck, but losing the Lion to Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain.
George has denied rumours he will bring a new girlfriend, thought to be Stacey Keibler, to the festival's glittering premiere.
