In a strong and heartfelt show of support for the earthquake victims in L’Aquila, actor George Clooney made a personal appearance at the temporary tent city that currently houses thousands.

The actor was accompanied by actor Bill Murray and and the former leader of Italy’s Democratic Party, Walter Vetroni.

Clooney who has a home in Italy, has vowed to begin shooting a film in the area sometime in September. The area had been considered during the initial location scouting, but was only recently selected to help provide an economic boost to those affected by the natural disaster.

Clooney arrived by helicopter and greeted onlookers in his best Italian (which is actually not bad at all). Clooney and his companions then toured the devasted area that now has thousands homeless and 299 dead. Clooney made comments in regards to how bad the earthquake affected the area, yet how resilient the remaining residents appeared.

Immediately afterward, he and his two companions went to the inaugural opening of the Nobel for Peace Hall in San Demetrio (AQ), Italy. The theater, which seats 80, was developed with funds donated by 20th Century Fox, the Mikhail Gorbachev Foundation and Walter Veltroni’s world peace foundation. The venue is a temporary venue developed for use by the residents of San Demetrio that was very hard hit by the earthquake.

by Elena Santos