Fedele Confalonieri and Paolo Berlusconi visit Silvio Berlusconi in hospital

Italian former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed on Friday to survive another stint in hospital, as the 86-year-old media mogul showed signs of improvement following treatment for leukaemia and a lung infection.

The billionaire, a larger-than-life figure who has dominated Italian public life for decades, was admitted Wednesday to the intensive care cardiac unit at Milan's San Raffaele Hospital.Outside the hospital, a few supporters of Berlusconi including fans from Monza, the football club he owns, have gathered to show their support.