Italy will observe a day of national mourning on Wednesday, the day of the funeral of former head of government Silvio Berlusconi, who died Monday at the age of 86, a government spokesman told AFP. The government order provides in particular for flags to be lowered to half-mast on all public buildings in the country from Monday until Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Italian government said Italy would observe a day of national mourning on Wednesday, the day of the funeral of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died Monday at 86. The government order provides in particular for the flags to be lowered to half mast on all public buildings in the country from Monday until Wednesday, the day of the national funeral of the “Cavaliere” which will take place at Milan Cathedral at 3 p.m. (1 p.m. GMT).
State funeral on Wednesday
Treated at San Raffaele hospital in Milan (North) for leukemia, Silvio Berlusconi entered it on Friday. A state funeral will be held at the majestic Milan Cathedral on Wednesday and the government has proclaimed a national day of mourning for the occasion.
Shortly after the announcement of his death, dozens of people gathered outside the hospital, before his remains were transferred to his luxurious villa San Martino, in Arcore, on the outskirts of Milan, while the tributes flowed in from Italy and to a lesser extent from abroad.
While he remained popular in Italy, his Forza Italia party, an election winning machine he founded in 1994, followed his slow decline, falling from almost 30% of the vote in the 2001 legislative elections to 8% in 2022. “He is immortal, he will always be with us. I have always admired him, like our whole family. For his generosity, his kindness, everything he has done for us,” Carla Ballarini told AFP. a 75-year-old retiree rushed to San Raffaele Hospital.
