Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi died at the age of 86 on Monday, and his funeral was to be held on Wednesday at 3pm at the Duomo in Milan, a city deeply associated with Berlusconi.

The Italian government confirmed on Monday that he would receive a state funeral with military honours.

READ ALSO: Italy declares national day of mourning after Silvio Berlusconi dies at 86 

Though this privilege is more usually reserved for popes, war heroes, and serving ministers, three former prime ministers have had state funerals in the last three decades according to media reports.

More unusually though, the government – which comprises Berlusconi’s own party as well as his close allies – also declared Wednesday a national “day of mourning”, or lutto nazionale.

This is the first time a national day of mourning has been declared for a former Italian prime minister, other than for those who also served as president.

Whether they’re planning to watch the funeral service or not, many people in Italy were left wondering what exactly a day of mourning would entail and whether it could mean the closure of shops and public offices.

The government’s announcement only stated that all Italian and European flags on public buildings were to be lowered to half mast from Monday nationwide.

According to newspaper La Repubblica, on a national day of mourning government officials are “obliged to cancel all commitments on the agenda: in fact, during the period of mourning, public officials can only participate in charity events”.

And this time the government is going beyond the usual protocol, with parliament closed for three days and almost all votes in both houses of parliament reportedly cancelled for seven days.

For everyone else in the country though, life “should not be particularly affected, were it not for the request for schools to observe a minute’s silence in memory of the deceased, and for the possibility that some shops may decide to keep the shutters closed throughout the day or during the funeral.”

There is no rule that means any shops or services must shut down on the day, so it all depends on individual businesses.

And sadly for anyone hoping for a day off work or school, it’s not a public holiday.

While the announcement of a national day of mourning in Italy is relatively rare, the last one was less than a month ago, on May 24th, 2023, in remembrance of the victims of flooding in Emilia-Romagna.