Meet George Clooney's spicy new Italian dish, Elisabetta Canalis. Molto buono!

George Clooney arrived in Venice on Monday with his hot new Italian girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis.

The couple took a water taxi to the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of his "Men Who Stare at Goats."

Clooney, 48, and the woman Italian media call "La Canalis" or "Eli"  usually hang out at his villa on Lake Como. She works in Milan as the host of the TV show "Total Request Live."

Expect to see her and Clooney at the 2010 Oscars. According to Pete Hammond at The Envelope, he's a shoo-in for a nod for "Up in the Air," which just got raves at Telluride.

Clooney has reportedly had his eye on her for some time. You might even say he was obsessed. OK, let's be honest. It kinda sounds like he was stalking the girl.

People magazine reports that a car was following Canalis while she was filming "Christmas in New York" in 2006. Her costar Siani Allessendro told an Italian magazine, "One day I finally decided to go over and confront the occupants of the car. I went over and to my surprise, who was sitting in the car? George Clooney! This isn't a new fling."

Do you think this will last? At least this young woman has a career and doesn't need George's fame, like a former cocktail waitress we can think of.

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Photos: George and Elisabetta at the Venice Film Festival. Is the Oscar their next stop? Credit: WireImage

 Photo credits: Getty Images