According to a source close to the family, the late former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s body will be cremated, and his ashes will be interred in the family mausoleum located within the grounds of his villa in Arcore, a town in northern Italy. Following a state funeral, the coffin will return to Villa San Martino near Milan, awaiting cremation at the Valenziano Panta Rei Crematorium Temple, situated close to the city of Alessandria.
Berlusconi, who passed away at the age of 86 on Monday, commissioned sculptor Pietro Cascella in the early 1990s to construct the mausoleum. Originally intended for himself, family members, and friends, Berlusconi discovered that the law permits only public cemeteries for burials, as revealed by his long-time friend and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi in an interview with AdnKronos news agency. However, the mausoleum allows for the placement of ashes.
Italian media described the mausoleum as a white marble structure featuring an underground mortuary. At its center stands a sarcophagus specifically created for Berlusconi, while the walls display a carved frieze depicting chains, symbolizing the unity of the family.
