Silvio Berlusconi's polarizing force in Italy remains strong as his funeral is held in Milan
CTV
Silvio Berlusconi's legacy -- positive or negative -- was being hotly debated among Italians as the nation prepared for a national day of mourning and a state funeral in Milan's Gothic-era Duomo cathedral on Wednesday.
Silvio Berlusconi's legacy -- positive or negative -- was being hotly debated among Italians as the nation prepared for a national day of mourning and a state funeral in Milan's Gothic-era Duomo cathedral on Wednesday.
Most Italians identify Berlusconi, a media mogul, soccer entrepreneur and three-time former premier, as the most influential figure in Italy over recent decades. But they remain sharply divided on whether his influence was for the better or worse. They are split over whether the three-time former premier merits all the fuss and ceremony.
Berlusconi died at the age of 86 on Monday in a Milan hospital where he was being treated for chronic leukemia. His family held a private wake Tuesday at one of Berlusconi's villas near Milan, the city where he made his billions as the head of a media empire before entering politics in 1994.
Political opponents are questioning not only the decisions of Premier Giorgia Meloni's government to hold a state funeral -- an honor that can be afforded all former premiers -- but to also declare a national day of mourning, which is more rarely invoked. In the case of the latter, flags are flown at half-staff and all political events not involving charity are put on hold, but it is otherwise business as usual.
"Berlusconi split Italy, he insulted adversaries for 30 years, he criminalized the magistrates and he didn't recognize laws. What are we talking about?" journalist Marco Travaglio, a long-time Berlusconi critic and co-founder of the il Fatto Quotidiano daily, told private La7 TV on Monday.
Nevertheless, thousands of Italians are expected to fill the piazza outside Milan's Duomo to follow the funeral on two maxi-screens, while family members, political allies and opponents gather inside.
Hungarian President Viktor Orban is among the highest-ranking of the foreign dignitaries whose attendance at the funeral is confirmed.
