The oldest man in Italy at 111 years old died one day before the new year of 2024.
According to the British Guardian on the 1st (local time), Giannini’s son Romano, the oldest Italian man in Tripoli, said on social media, “My father believed he was immortal, but he passed away around 9:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.”
Romano said, “My father set a record of 111 years and 133 days,” and “(in heaven) he would have been reunited with his wife, my mother, Tosca, who had waited for him for over 40 years.”
Giannini was the second-oldest person in Europe, following André Ludwig, the oldest person in France, who was born 75 days before him.
Giannini, born in Cecina, Italy in 1912, experienced two world wars, Spanish flu, and pandemics such as COVID-19.
In celebration of his 111th birthday in August last year, he cited light meals with wine and a stress-free life as the secret to longevity. He also revealed that he does not smoke and that he treats each day as a gift.
The Mediterranean diet, which involves consuming mainly olive oil, vegetables, seafood, and nuts, but less red meat, has long been considered the secret to longevity among Italians.
According to the Italian National Statistical Office, the number of people aged 100 or older in Italy reached an all-time high of 22,000 last year. The number of births in Italy reached an all-time low of 393,000 as of 2022.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that changing the low birth rate trend is one of the government’s priorities for 2024 and that a budget of 2.5 billion euros (about 3.5 trillion won) has been allocated for this purpose.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.