Silvio Berlusconi funeral gathers 15,000 people in Milan

A state funeral was held in Milan this Wednesday (June 14, 2023), a national day of mourning, for Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy. He died on Monday (June 14) aged 86 in a hospital where he was being treated for chronic leukemia. The political leader’s funeral was attended by his family, 2 ex-wives and thousands of supporters. The information is from Sky News.

Berlusconi’s coffin left Villa San Martino in Arcore, on the outskirts of Milan, and was carried through the city center to the Duomo cathedral, where around 15,000 people were waiting for the ceremony, according to local officials. Among the political figures who attended the event were the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, and the Commissioner for the Economy of the European Union, Paolo Gentiloni.

Final farewell to Silvio Berlusconi. He was a great statesman and a true friend. Our life is emptier without you. God bless you! pic.twitter.com/VjtSMM9Evo

— Viktor Orbán (@PM_ViktorOrban) June 14, 2023

“Silvio Berlusconi’s final farewell. He was a great statesman and a true friend. Our life is empty without you. God bless you!”said Orbán in a publication this 4th (14.jun).

Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were also at the funeral. Meloni received criticism for the decision to hold a state funeral and declare a national day of mourning in the country. Also this Wednesday (June 14), Meloni shared a tribute to his predecessor on his Twitter profile, posting a video with the caption “Thank you Silvio. We will not forget you”.

Thanks Silvio. We will not forget you. pic.twitter.com/9S2DlRv17v

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 14, 2023

Crowds filled the square outside the cathedral to watch the service which was shown on two giant screens. Fans of AC Milan – the club Berlusconi owned for 31 years – sang songs from the Italian soccer team throughout the funeral. In addition to Berlusconi’s admirers, demonstrators were also present.

Berlusconi’s body will be cremated before his ashes are taken to the family mausoleum in the northern city of Arcore. The mausoleum, built by sculptor Pietro Cascella in the early 1990s, has an underground mortuary with a sarcophagus of the former Italian leader.

Berlusconi’s family held a private wake on Tuesday (June 13) in one of their villas near Milan.

See more images:

Silvio Berlusconi’s funeral gathers 15.0… (Gallery – 3 Photos)

The ceremony was held at the Duomo cathedral in Milan.
Playback / Twitter / @shameem572

The ceremony was held at the Duomo cathedral in Milan.
Playback / Twitter / @shameem572

A supporter of the former Prime Minister of Italy in front of the cathedral where the funeral took place. On the plaque, the homage “The most Italian of Italians”.
Playback / Twitter / @jsarrion_