Thirty-five victims from the town of Arquata were mourned at a sports hall in the regional capital, Ascoli Piceno.
The coffins, laid out in rows on the floor, included two painted white for two children killed.
The death toll from the quake, which struck a mountainous central region, has again risen as more bodies were found.
Prime
Minister Matteo Renzi was among those attending the funeral along with
President Sergio Mattarella, who earlier visited Amatrice, the town with
the most casualties.
Bishop Giovanni d'Ercole urged those affected not to lose courage.
"Together,
above all we will restore life to our communities, starting from our
traditions and from the rubble of death," he said.
One of the
children's coffins contained the body of Giulia Rinaldo, whose younger
sister survived the earthquake because she was under Giulia's body.
One
of the firefighters, Andrea, had left a moving note on Giulia's coffin,
apologising for arriving too late, and signing it with a heart symbol.
Firefighter Andrea's letter to Giulia:
Hello,
little darling. I only managed to lend a hand to pull you out of the
prison of rubble. Forgive us if we arrived too late. However, you had
stopped breathing by then, but I'd like you to know that we did all we
could to pull you out.
When I return to my house in l'Aquila, I
will know that there is an angel watching me from the sky and you will
be a shining star in the night. Bye Giulia, I love you even though you
never got to know me.