[1/5] A person leaves a letter among flowers and football memorabilia near Villa San Martino, the residence of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, to which his body was transported following his death, in Arcore near Milan, Italy, June 13, 2023.
REUTERS/Yara NardiMILAN, June 13 (Reuters) - Italy was preparing on Tuesday to bid farewell to former premier Silvio Berlusconi, a scandal-prone billionaire who dominated the country's politics, business and soccer world for at least three decades.
"Italy without Berlusconi," the country's largest circulation newspaper, Corriere della Sera, wrote on its front page, dedicating more than 30 pages of coverage to the event.
Corriere said Berlusconi had been well enough to watch on television Saturday's Champions League soccer final between Inter Milan and Manchester City.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a TV interview on Monday that she had spoken "at length" with him that day.
Persons:
Silvio Berlusconi, Nardi, Berlusconi, Sera, Corriere, Giorgia Meloni, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, Berlusconi's, Giuliano Urbani, Meloni's, Sergio Mattarella, Alvise, Ed Osmond
Organizations:
Italian, REUTERS, AC Milan, Monza, Saturday's Champions League, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Forza, La Repubblica, Meloni's Brothers, Thomson
Locations:
Villa San, Arcore, Milan, Italy, Nardi MILAN, Raffaele, Milan's, Washington