Silvio Berlusconi death: who was his wife, did he have children and grandchildren? His family explained

The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86. He served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. But, it was also his life away from his political career that caught the headlines, not just in his native Italy, but also around the world.

He was a controversial figure who had many scandals during his lifetime, including sex scandals, countless allegations of corruption, ‘bunga bunga’ parties with numerous girls and drugs and a conviction for tax fraud. There were also numerous rumours that he had cheated on his ex-wives, and his likeness of younger women was evident in his choice of partner.

But just who were Silvio Berlusconi’s former partners, who was he married to, and how many children and grandchildren did he have? Here’s everything you need to know about the family of one of Italy's most notable and continuous figures.

Was Silvio Berlusconi married?

Berlusconi was not officially married in the eyes of the law at the time of his death, but he had been married symbolically for just over a year. In March 2022, he held a celebration of love with his girlfriend Marta Fascina, a then 32-year-old MP in his Forza Italia party. The pair had been dating since 2020, shortly after it was reported that he had split with his former partner Francesca Pascale, then 34, who he had been with for over 10 years.

The pair were allegedly not married legally during the service, which was held in Milan, due to an inheritance row between their families. Berlusconi's children were said to be very concerned that if their father did marry Fascina then she would have been able to claim his fortune, which is worth over £5 billion. Fascina was very angry about not having a proper wedding, according to Italian press, as reported by the Daily Mail.  

The couple still treated the day like a real wedding, however, with the ‘bride’ wearing a wedding dress, guests being treated to a lavish meal and the presentation and cutting of a three-tier cake. MP Vittorio Sgarbi told The Times: “Although there was no priest or public official, it was like a real wedding. Berlusconi was full of happiness as he told Marta she was 'a gift from the heavens'.” Fascina was said to have the initials of her billionaire ‘husband’ tattooed on her body ahead of the celebratory day, as reported by Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

Who are Silvio Berlusconi’s ex-wives?

Berlusconi had been married legally twice. He met his first wife, Carla Elvira Lucia Dall'Oglio, when he was in his twenties. The Italian actress had been born in the city of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy, in September 1940 but moved to Milan a short while later with her family. It was here that she met her future husband, who was four years her senior, in 1964. They apparently met at a bus stop and quickly fell in love and got engaged. They married in 1965 at a church in Milan. They remained married officially until 1985, but the relationship declined before this date and there were reports that Berlusconi had cheated on Dall'Oglio. 

By 1980, Berlusconi had formed a relationship with another Italian actress called Veronica Lario. Lario, whose real name was Miriam Raffaella Bartolini, married Berlusconi in 1990. By this time, Berlusconi was a well-known entrepreneur and as a result his wedding was a huge social event which was attended by some very important figures. One of his best men was Bettino Craxi, a former prime minister and leader of the Italian Socialist Party. 

After the marriage Lario, who is now aged 66, retired from acting and did her best to keep herself out of the public eye. She rarely attended public events with her husband, but he sometimes spoke about her. 

In 2007, the marriage started to deteriorate publicly when he allegedly told a woman at a party that he would marry her if he wasn’t already married. In response, Lario published an open letter in La Repubblica, a prominent Italian newspaper, in which she demanded a public apology from Berlusconi. Berlusconi obliged, but two years later she published another open letter criticising her husband for his preference for spending time with younger women, as reported by the New York Times. The couple divorced in 2010.

Did Silvio Berlusconi have children?

Yes, Berlusconi was a father-of-five. He had his first two children with Dall'Oglio. Maria Elvira, better known as Marina, was born in 1966. The now 56-year-old is a businesswoman. Her younger brother Pier Silvio was born in 1969. He is now 54 and is an entrepreneur in the media industry. His next three children came from his relationship with Lario. Barbara, born 1984, is now a 38-year-old business executive. Eleonora, now age 36, followed in 1986 and Luigi, now age 34, in 1988. 

During an interview to mark his 80th birthday in 2016, Berlusconi reportedly spoke about the importance of family. He said: “What I have come to realise, perhaps the most important thing, is that I will spend more time with my children and my grandchildren. I will dedicate more time to the people that I love and that is the way it should be: five children and ten grandchildren have turned me into a patriarch.”

Did Silvio Berlusconi have grandchildren?

Yes, Berlusconi had grandchildren. Eldest daughter Marina has two children, 20-year-old Gabriele Vanadia and 18-year-old Silvio Vanadia. Pier has three children; daughter Lucrezia Vittoria Berlusconi, age 33, son Lorenzo Mattia, age 13, and daughter Sofia Valentina, age 8. Barbara has four sons, Alessandro, born in 2007, Edoardo, born in 2009, Leone, born in 2016, and Francesco Amos, born in 2018. Eleonora has one son, Riccardo Binns. Luigi is a father-of two. His first child, son Emanuele Silvio, was born in 2021 and his sibling followed last year. This means Berlusconi had 12 grandchildren in total.

Did Silvio Berlusconi have great-grandchildren?

Yes, Berlusconi became a great grandfather in 2021, when Lucrezia Vittoria Berlusconi, the eldest of his grandchildren, became a mother herself. Baby Olivia was born in December 2021, according to local media reports.