Italy bids farewell to Berlusconi on contested day of mourning

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00:00 Silvio Berlusconi's funeral ceremony takes place in Milan's Duomo Cathedral.

00:04 Milan is where he was born and where he died, aged 86.

00:08 It is a state funeral, held in the presence of the Italian President Sergio Mattarella

00:13 and the current Prime Minister, far-right leader Giorgio Maloni.

00:17 People will be able to watch on a giant screen in the cathedral square, amid tight security.

00:22 "There will be free access to the square.

00:26 People will not need a pass.

00:28 There will be checks and everything that is needed."

00:31 Berlusconi's 33-year-old girlfriend is expected to be joined in the front pews of the Duomo

00:38 by two former wives and five children.

00:41 Meanwhile, supporters of the former Prime Minister laid flowers at the entrance to his

00:45 residence in Arcore, just northeast of Milan.

00:50 "His death leaves a great void, as a man, as a politician.

00:55 He was like a member of my family to me.

00:57 It's a void that will be difficult to fill."

01:00 "I'm Italian and I care.

01:03 I care so much.

01:04 I wanted to say goodbye to him one last time with my husband."

01:09 Berlusconi was a highly controversial figure in Italian politics for decades.

01:13 He died on Monday after several years of illness.

01:17 There is a mausoleum on the grounds of his villa at Arcore, but it is not yet clear if

01:21 his family has permission to bury him there.

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