The remains of Silvio Berlusconi are cremated. His urn is then laid to rest in his mausoleum.
Italian ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (1936-2023), who died at the age of 86, will be cremated today, Thursday. According to Italian media, after the state funeral in Milan Cathedral on Wednesday, his remains were taken to his villa in nearby Arcore, where he has lived since 1974. The cremation is scheduled for Thursday at the Panta Rei crematorium in Valenza, near the city of Alessandria. His urn will then be returned to his estate, where he will find his final resting place in a private mausoleum.
As early as the 1990s, Berlusconi had the mausoleum built for himself, his family and close friends by the famous sculptor Pietro Cascella (1921-2008). The media mogul and politician originally wanted to be buried in the monumental tomb without cremation, but strict Italian law doesn’t allow a traditional burial there, which is why he finally decided to have his body cremated.
The mausoleum is still empty, but it was originally intended to be the burial place for his parents. However, these were buried in a Milan cemetery.
2,300 invited guests in Milan Cathedral
The public said goodbye to Berlusconi at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral ceremony in Milan. In addition to his relatives, around 2,300 invited guests from politics, business and celebrities attended the procedure in the cathedral. In total, an estimated 17,000 onlookers and fans are said to have gathered on the streets around the cathedral to attend the ceremonial state funeral. Some protests against the controversial politician were also reported.
Silvio Berlusconi died last Monday, June 12, 2023, in a Milan hospital as a result of chronic leukemia. Three days earlier he had been admitted to the hospital with shortness of breath and heart problems.
Berlusconi was Prime Minister of Italy four times. With his party “Forza Italia” and numerous private scandals, he made international headlines for decades. One of the biggest scandals was the so-called “Bunga-Bunga Affair” about sprawling sex parties. With a reported fortune of around 6.5 billion euros, he was considered one of the richest Italians.
Source: Stern
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