One year ago , it was 9:30 on 12 June 2023, Silvio Berlusconi died at the age of 86 in a room at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan .
A shocking farewell for the Italians, despite it being known that the former prime minister and leader of Forza Italia had been fighting for some time against an illness that had affected him physically but not spiritually.
THE TRIBUTE – Many commemorations are planned for today, starting with the memory that the five children Marina, Pier Silvio, Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi wanted to entrust to the pages of national newspapers. " Sweet dad, your love will always live within us ", the phrase that stands out in the main newspapers.
A mass is also scheduled in the chapel of the Arcore residence . In addition to the five children, his brother Paolo, his latest partner Marta Fascina and his closest friends and advisors, such as Fedele Confalonieri, Gianni Letta, Adriano Galliani, participate. Later the tribute will be shared by Pier Silvio Berlusconi with employees and collaborators of the Mediaset group . Then it will be Forza Italia's turn: the occasion will be the secretariat convened to analyze the European elections vote. At 3 pm the commemoration will move to the Senate . And for everyone it will be the group leader of FI, Maurizio Gasparri, who will remember Berlusconi in the chamber, as the president Ignazio la Russa anticipated.
However, the commemorations had already begun yesterday, in the Mediaset studios in Cologno Monzese , where Pier Silvio remembered his father with «the strongest, most powerful, absolutely universal word: Silvio Berlusconi our founder, my father is Love». The father's portrait appeared on a giant screen and then a quote from him: «True love conquers everything, if you don't know how to love you can't build anything good, for yourself and for others. If you know how to love, you can look at life, in all its aspects, with an always positive, realistic but optimistic gaze, capable of seeing ahead."
THE MEMORY – And then the memories, starting with that of Giorgia Meloni : «I would like to remember a man who left an indelible mark on Italian political history . We have shared many battles and decisive moments for our nation. Even in his memory, we will continue to give our best to restore vision and greatness to Italy. Hi Silvio", writes the Prime Minister on social media, publishing a photo of her with Berlusconi.
«A year ago a brilliant entrepreneur left us, a revolutionary innovator in multiple fields, a statesman capable of defining an era, in love with Italy and freedom», Matteo Salvini wrote in X. Who remembers Silvio Berlusconi as " a Friend, with a capital "A", to whom I was bound by a very tender affection ". And again: «I remember our last meeting and our last phone calls, I remember the energy and the gaze always turned to the future, to his children and grandchildren, to young people, even to the new artificial intelligence tools, by which he was amazed and fascinated and of which, always a lucid precursor, he already understood the disruptive impact. In your memory, Silvio, I am still moved and rest assured: we will always love you and will never forget you."
"We miss you. Hello, President", wrote Antonio Tajani , secretary of Forza Italia, again on
(Unioneonline/vl)