US actor George Clooney smiles as he arrives by taxi boat to the venue of a gala dinner ahead of his official wedding ceremony in Venice September 27, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

George Clooney to marry in Italy

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The Italian city of gondolas and palazzi looked like Hollywood on the Adriatic as A-list guests cruised between luxury hotels for the extravaganza, billed as the party of the year even as details were kept largely secret.

Clooney's representative, Stan Rosenfield, broke a long silence about the actor's personal life on Saturday, issuing a statement confirming the marriage.

"Confirmed. They were married Saturday evening in Venice," he told Reuters in an email.

The pair had been expected to wed officially on Monday in a civil ceremony at Venice's 14th-century town hall. It was not clear if that would still take place.

Venice's Grand Canal turned into an aquatic red carpet as the tuxedo-clad actor and his guests crossed the lagoon from the Cipriani hotel for dinner at the seven-star Aman Canal Grande Venice, housed in the 16th-century Palazzo Papadopoli.

Actors Matt Damon and Bill Murray mingled with model Cindy Crawford, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and singer Bono at a reception on the terrace of the plush Cipriani before embarking.