Here’s what Italians think of the gay unions bill

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in squares across Italy to ask the government to extend rights to same-sex couples.

The protests came ahead of a long-awaited civil unions bill, which parliament will begin debating on Thursday. But the issue has divided opinion across the political spectrum.

Even members of the same political parties hold wildly different views about whether the bill should be passed. 

But what do ordinary Italians think of the bill? And why is it so controversial?