It was a scene worthy of Succession. Silvio Berlusconi’s five heirs hurried to a private hospital in Milan to bid farewell to their ailing father, who had shaped Italy like no one else in its tortured postwar history.
His 33-year-old girlfriend, Marta Fascina, was already there, having spent the night at his bedside. Fascina, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, exercises tremendous influence over Berlusconi’s political party, Forza Italia.
The eldest of Berlusconi’s children, Marina, was among the first to arrive, dark glasses and designer bag in hand. Long thought to be his favorite, springing to his defense scandal after scandal, she’s at the helm of the sprawling business conglomerate that includes the family crown jewel: holding company Fininvest SpA.
