Italy’s oldest man, Tripoli Giannini, dies at age of 111

Photograph: Comune di Cecina

Italy’s oldest man, who credited “light meals and no stress” for his longevity, has died at the age of 111.

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 is 75 days older.

Giannini’s son, Romano, wrote on Facebook: “He believed he was immortal … instead, at 9.30am, on the day of San Silvestro (New Year’s Eve), my father Tripoli Giannini died. He was 111 years and 133 days old – a record! He joins his wife, Tosca, my mother, who has waited for him for over 40 years.”

Giannini was among Italy’s growing number of centenarians. According to figures from Istat, the national statistics agency, there were 22,000 people aged over 100 in 2023 – the highest number recorded. The vast majority of Italian centenarians are women.

Giannini, who belonged to the Italian army infantry corps, was born in Cecina in 1912, and lived through two world wars and two pandemics. During celebrations for his 111th birthday last August, he said the secrets to his longevity were light meals – always accompanied with wine – no stress, being a non-smoker and treating each day as a gift.

The Italian island of Sardinia has been identified as one of five regions in the world that have high concentrations of centenarians, while the Italian city with the most people over the age of 100 is Genoa in Liguria.

The Mediterranean diet has long been considered to be the main ingredient for longevity among Italians.

Still, the country’s ageing population is a challenge for prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, especially as it coincides with a plummeting birthrate, placing pressure on the pension and healthcare systems.

In 2022, births in Italy reached a record low of 393,000, according to Istat. Meloni said in December that reversing the birthrate trend was among her government’s priorities for 2024, with €2.5bn set aside in the budget to tackle the issue.