Silvio Berlusconi’s Enduring Legacy: Two Years On, Daughter Marina Reflects on Love, Politics, and a Visionary Spirit
A Visionary’s Lasting Echoes: How Silvio Berlusconi’s Ideals Continue to Shape a Changing World
by Anne Martin 12 June 2025
Two years have passed since the passing of Silvio Berlusconi, yet his presence remains profoundly felt, not least through his final handwritten words. Scrawled on notepad sheets during his last days in the hospital, these poignant lines offer a powerful, remarkably relevant testament to his enduring ideals. His eldest daughter, Marina Berlusconi, welcomed us into her Milan home to revisit these cherished words, her eyes still sparkling with a blend of nostalgia and fierce pride as she spoke of her father.
Marina was a steadfast advocate for the publication of this manuscript, guarding the original with deep reverence. “I was there with him, in that room at San Raffaele in Milan,” she recounted in the preface to Paolo Del Debbio’s book, which first unveiled the manuscript’s existence a year ago. “It was the early afternoon of Saturday, June 10th, when he wrote these lines. And I will never, ever forget it. Nor do I want to.” Today, she openly admits to feeling “astonished and moved” as she rereads those words, sensing their profound resonance.
A Universal Message: Love as a Guiding Principle
The manuscript, surprisingly, transcends mere political discourse, offering what Marina describes as a “truly universal message that goes far beyond politics.” In a world seemingly starved for unity and dialogue, her father’s final thoughts take on an even deeper significance. The words “love” and the verb “to love” are repeated multiple times throughout the notes, not as a rhetorical flourish, but from a place of deep, personal conviction.
Silvio Berlusconi’s primary desire, Marina explains, was always “to feel loved, to feel appreciated.” He simply couldn’t comprehend those who sought power through intimidation, viewing it as utterly antithetical to his own nature. This perspective stands in stark contrast to the current global political climate, where many powerful leaders seem to prioritize a “muscular” conception of power, competing to instill fear. In this light, his trembling, handwritten words – advocating for love and appreciation over fear – appear almost prophetic, a gentle but firm counter-narrative to contemporary power dynamics.
Marina insists that this core philosophy of love permeated every aspect of his life, from his private and family life to his entrepreneurial ventures and his public political career. “It would not be possible to fully understand who my father was without realizing that love, understood in its various manifestations, was the guiding star of his life,” she affirms. It was the indelible common denominator that inextricably linked all his endeavors.
A Liberal Manifesto for a Borderless Europe
Penned with the fragility of someone facing their final hours, the four-page manuscript reveals a potent liberal manifesto, which Marina deems “powerful, especially considering what is happening in the world.” It vividly outlines a vision for an Italy and a Europe unburdened by walls, striving for political collaboration and social solidarity. Her father, she emphasizes, was “one of the most convinced supporters of greater union among European countries, and already in ’94, he advocated for a common foreign policy and a common defense.”
Today, however, discussions around greater European integration often raise concerns about the loss of national sovereignty. Marina addresses this directly, stating that her father was among those who foresaw and championed “a new form of patriotism – one that is greatly needed – a European patriotism, always, of course, within the framework of an ironclad bond across the Atlantic.” These fundamental ideas, she concludes, are the same ones that “inspired and continue to inspire Forza Italia,” the political party he founded. This vision, she notes, was far-reaching, defining war as “the folly of all follies.” Marina poignantly reflects, “Reading these lines while violent conflicts rage on three continents makes me think that if there were a bit more Silvio Berlusconi in the world, well, perhaps things would be better: there would be more common sense and less suffering.”
The Unfinished Fight for Justice: A Personal Crusade
Beyond the political idealism, the manuscript also subtly reveals the suffering of a man who, for nearly half his life, waged a relentless battle for “just justice.” At a time when current events continue to highlight judicial absurdities and the principle of due process (garantismo) risks evaporating, Marina feels compelled to address the system that aggressively pursued her father for three decades. She speaks of “accusatory theories artificially constructed and trials used as weapons,” echoing the pain of countless others who annually endure similar legal ordeals, transforming into a “calvary for a thousand innocents.”
When asked about the judicial reform currently under consideration in the Senate, Marina asserts, “Justice reform is and must remain a priority. Because a country where justice doesn’t work is a country destined to fail.” While acknowledging that a single reform won’t fully restore Italy to full legal civilization, she believes it would represent “a significant step forward.” She also advocates for further measures, specifically calling for the introduction of true civil liability for magistrates. “It would be right for those who make mistakes to be held accountable for their errors,” she declares, invoking a sacred principle that should apply to all.
Despite the relentless aggression and attacks he faced, Silvio Berlusconi, according to Marina, remained “a man of balance, a true moderate,” who always prioritized dialogue over confrontation. A powerful example of this was his time serving social service in Cesano Boscone: “He was serving a sentence for a conviction that made no sense, but I never heard him complain or protest. On the contrary, he lived those days with great positivity and affection for the people he cared for. He never stopped smiling.” He managed to transform a difficult and humiliating experience into something positive.
A Living Legacy: The Religion of Freedom
“Until the very end, he remained true to himself and never stopped defending tolerance, due process, and democracy,” Marina recalls. “It was his religion of freedom, for him the most precious good.” Today, in his absence, Marina observes that many of his most staunch adversaries are now acknowledging his qualities and great humanity, a testament to the enduring fruits of his efforts.
One of the legacies Marina holds most dear is “Silvio Berlusconi Editore,” a publishing house founded in 2024 with the explicit mission of exploring the concept of freedom. She describes freedom as “a topic of absolute relevance and a truly universal value that must be defended, discussed, and explored in depth. And above all, it should never, ever be taken for granted.”
Is this new publishing venture a political initiative? Marina clarifies: “I would say it is rather a tool for debate on themes of political value in the noblest sense of the term, such as freedom and democracy, always far from any form of arrogance and militancy.” She points to the initial titles released by this new Mondadori Group imprint: “Silvio Berlusconi Editore gives voice to ideas that may be close to ours or very far away, but are nonetheless worthy of attention.” It is, she affirms, “a living and fertile legacy that will develop and enrich itself in the coming years, not just a way to honor my father’s memory.”
Two years after his death, Silvio Berlusconi is far more than just a memory. As Marina eloquently concludes, “It is truly beautiful to see how much, how very much, of Dad has remained. Just read his last words: they are not a farewell, but the embrace of a man who immensely loves his country, of a father who infinitely loves his family. And he continues to speak to us. Perhaps it would be good to pause and listen to him. It wouldn’t be an act of remembrance, but one of trust in the future.”
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