Mourners in Rome gathered to pay their respects to Emma Bonino, a prominent Italian activist who passed away at the age of 78. On Sunday, hundreds of people lined up outside Rome's city hall to honor her memory. A Carabinieri honor guard escorted her casket into the building, where Riccardo Magi, secretary of +Europa — the political party Bonino founded in 2017 — placed a European flag on the casket next to a photo of her wearing a black head scarf. A woman was the first to enter the hall, placing a sunflower next to the coffin before others filed past, paying tribute to a woman described as a trailblazer in Italian politics and feminism. Bonino gained political prominence in the 1970s as a leader in the Radical Party's campaign to legalize abortion in Italy, a cause that was successfully achieved in 1978. Over the course of her more than 50-year career, she became a key figure in both Italian and European politics, advocating for human rights and women's rights. She served as a European commissioner under former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and co-founded the death penalty watchdog Hands Off Cain. In 2015, she announced she had lung cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy, but she continued her political work. After treatment, she began wearing brightly colored scarves on her head, a symbol of her resilience. Bonino was known for her bold presence in politics and for achieving significant accomplishments both in Italy and internationally. She played a key role in shaping EU consumer protection policies and founded the European Commission Humanitarian Office, now a central humanitarian body within the European Union. During her time in this role, she traveled to war-torn regions like the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sudan, and Afghanistan, advocating for the importance of political and military intervention in humanitarian crises. Magi, her political ally, said she "loved the institutions, she loved democracy," and that placing the European flag on her casket reflected her lifelong commitment to reforming Europe into a more unified and federal entity, often referred to as the "United States of Europe." At the end of the long line of mourners stretching across the city hall piazza, designed by Michelangelo and leading to the iconic she-wolf statue, stood Riccarda Meloni, holding a red rose. She called Bonino a "great friend" and recalled their collaboration in the 1990s on what she described as extraordinary battles that now seem almost like science fiction. Meloni praised Bonino for her idealism and her desire to make the world a better place. Italy will hold a state funeral for Bonino on Tuesday, marking the end of a life dedicated to political reform, human rights, and the advancement of democratic values.