Italy's oldest man dies

Tripoli Giannini, nicknamed Tripolino, died at his home in Cecina, near Livorno in Tuscany, on New Year's Eve. He was the second oldest man in Europe, after André Ludwig, a Frenchman, who outlived Tripoli Giannin by 75 days.

Giannini's son, Romano, wrote on Facebook: "He believed he was immortal. At 9:30 on San Silvestro (New Year's Eve), my father, Tripoli Giannini, passed away. He was 111 years and 133 days old, a record! He was going to see his wife, Tosca, my mother, who had been waiting for him for more than 40 years."

Mr. Tripoli Giannini.

Tripoli Giannini, a member of the Italian army's infantry corps, was born in Cecina in 1912 and lived through two world wars and two pandemics. On his 111th birthday in August 2023, he said the secret to his longevity was light meals accompanied by wine, no stress, no smoking and seeing each day as a gift.

Previously, on November 17, 2023, the oldest person in Italy, Mrs. Domenica Ercolani, also passed away in the city of Pesaro, Pesaro-Urbino province, Marche region, at the age of 113.

Mrs. Domenica Ercolani.

Ercolani was born in Urbino, also in the Marche region, on July 3, 1910. She married a railway station manager and never left Pesaro-Urbino. Her 87-year-old daughter, Alessandra Rupalti, cared for her until her death.

Ercolani is notable for never taking any medication and never suffering from any incapacitating illness. He is the youngest of five children, and has two children himself. His life revolves around the house, waking up at 7am, eating a hearty breakfast and then listening to the radio for the rest of the day.

He never refuses a glass of wine, combined with light meals. His door is always open to welcome everyone to visit and he often says "you live better and longer if you are a good person".

Mr. Giannini and Mrs. Ercolani are among a growing number of centenarians in Italy. According to figures from Istat, Italy's national statistics agency, the country will record 22,000 centenarians in 2023, the highest number ever. The vast majority of centenarians in Italy are women.

The Italian island of Sardinia has been identified as one of five regions in the world with the highest concentration of centenarians. Meanwhile, the Italian city with the most centenarians is Genoa in Liguria.

The Mediterranean diet has long been credited with the longevity of Italians.

However, the country's aging population poses a challenge for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, especially as it goes hand in hand with a sharp decline in birth rates, putting pressure on pension and health care systems.

According to Istat, the number of births in Italy hit a record low of just 393,000 in 2022. Prime Minister Meloni said in December 2023 that reversing the birth rate trend was one of the Italian government 's priorities for 2024, with 2.5 billion euros earmarked in the budget to address the issue.

Minh Hoa (reported by VTV, Health & Life)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-lon-tuoi-nhat-italy-qua-doi-a643535.html