London, July 28: Italian grandparents are to be honoured with a Granny and Grandpa Day in recognition of the vital role they play in society.

It will be marked on October 2, the day the Catholic Church celebrates guardian angels. “It is what grandparents are,” said Ugo Lisi, a deputy for the Alleanza Nazionale party, who co-sponsored a bill to institute the day.

Lisi said he envisaged a Grandparents’ Day in which “all three generations will sit round a table and celebrate”. He denied it was a commercial decision intended to boost the greetings card industry.

“Grandparents are a great social resource,” Lisi said. “Their role is irreplaceable....” According to an opinion poll published yesterday, more than 70 per cent of young Italians find their grandparents “more affectionate, more understanding and more stimulating” than their parents.

However, the decision is partly political. A decree from the Silvio Berlusconi-led coalition government said Italy’s 14 million grandparents deserved “a day all of their own”. Berlusconi faces potential defeat in a general election next spring.