Former Italian PM Berlusconi died at the age of 86 on Monday in a Milan hospital where he was being treated for chronic leukemia.
was honored Wednesday with a state funeral in Milan’s Duomo cathedral and a day of national mourning, as his legacy — positive or negative — was being hotly debated among Italians.
Most Italians identify Berlusconi, a media mogul, soccer entrepreneur and three-time former premier, as the most influential figure inover recent decades. But they remain sharply divided on whether his influence was for the better or worse, extending to whether the three-time former premier merits all the fuss and ceremony.
, 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 Premierto 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 were flown at half-staff and all political events not involving charity were put on hold, but it is otherwise business as usual.
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