George Clooney originally bought his Italian lakeside villa at Laglio  for financial reasons, as a pure investment, and a vacation retreat. 

But then the Ocean's Eleven star fell for his adopted homeland. 'I realised how beautiful life was in Italy and how it really helped calm me and not feel so pressured,' Clooney enthused. 

Discovering La Dolce Vita had a profound effect on George Clooney the actor has revealed. The 49-year-old heartthrob has said that he made the choice to splurge on his Italian lakeside villa for financial reasons. 

'It was a pure investment decision. I thought maybe I would spend a few weeks vacationing there,' he told The Sun. 

But then the Ocean's Eleven star fell for his adopted homeland. 'I realised how beautiful life was in Italy and how it really helped calm me and not feel so pressured,' Clooney enthused. 

'I could also work very productively and bring my friends over to keep me company.' The Academy Award-nominee explained that living in the small village of Laglio offered him a chance to escape the glare of Hollywood stardom. 'My life over there takes me away from the circus aspects of being a celebrity and that's a pleasant change for me,' he said. 

He added in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper, ?I was working so hard on my film projects that for a time I basically didn?t even think very much about how my personal life was evolving.

The 49-year-old hunk, who has had a series of short term relationships since his divorce from actress Talia Balsam in 1993, also admitted he has previously put his career before his personal life but is happy to have now changed his priorities.

?I didn?t care in the sense that I didn?t have a family or children to look after and I wasn?t involved in any long-term relationships.

?Now, I still feel I haven?t done my best work although I?ve at least put myself in a position where I can keep doing what I love and enjoy the process."I even have a bit of a personal life these days. I don?t want to make anyone sick but things are going pretty well for me."

Clooney has been dating Italian television presenter Elisabetta Canalis for more than a year, 

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