Having left yesterday from the Teatro delle Vittoria in Rome , the hearse carrying Pippo Baudo's coffin arrived during the night in Militello , in Val di Catania, greeted by the applause of hundreds of people.
The chapel of rest was opened this morning in the church of Santa Maria della Stella, then in the afternoon, at 4pm, live on TV (on Rai1 and Rete 4), the funeral of the great presenter, who died at the age of 89 , will be celebrated.
Next to Baudo's coffin is the wreath of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
The hearse departed Rome's Prati district yesterday amidst honors from the police and the music of Donna Rosa. It then passed the presenter's offices on Via della Giuliana. Then it traveled 850 kilometers to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Stella, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.
The trip was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior for reasons of public order and security. Baudo's longtime collaborator, Dina Minna, accompanied the body in another car .
The funeral will be presided over by the bishop of the Diocese of Caltagirone, Monsignor Calogero Peri, together with the parish priest Giuseppe Luparello, while Pippo Baudo's spiritual director, Don Giuseppe Albanese, will deliver the homily.
Approximately three hundred people will be allowed into the church: Baudo's family, close friends, and institutional representatives. The Minister of Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, Undersecretary of Culture Gianmarco Mazzi, and Regional President Renato Schifani will be present, along with journalists. The thousands of people expected will be able to follow the funeral on the giant screen set up in Piazza Santa Maria della Stella.
Civil Protection stations will be located in the church area (volunteers will arrive from various provinces), providing bottles of mineral water. The 118 emergency service has been increased, while the hospital's three heads of surgery, emergency room, and intensive care will shuttle between the square and the church.
After the ceremony, the coffin will be transferred to the Militello cemetery where it will be placed in the family chapel , where his father and mother rest, designed by the famous Catanian architect Giuseppe Pagnano.
(Unioneonline/vl)