Vitantonio Lovallo, the oldest living man in Europe, passed away yesterday in Avigliano, Basilicata, Italy, at the age of 112 years, 171 days.
Lovallo was born in a vineyard in the hamlet of Avigliano, Basilicata, Italy, on 28 March 1914. His first job was a shepherd, which he acquired aged 16. He met his future wife in town, where she had been sent to recover from pleurisy. They married in 1936. Their daughter Lucia was born in 1938, followed by their son Vincenzo in 1940, who died a few months later from meningitis. Another daughter, Maria, was born in 1946, and a second son in 1952. His wife passed away in 2015 at the age of 98 from leukemia.
During World War II, Lovallo fought on the front lines. He was in Bari, and was held prisoner in Corfu for a time. After the war’s end, he returned to his homeland and found employment as a muleteer.
Following the death of Michele Cicora on 31 March 2024, Lovallo became Italy’s oldest living man. He is the first male from the region of Basilicata to attain supercentenarian status. Following Ilie Ciocan’s passing on 27 May 2026, Lovallo became the Oldest Living Man in Europe.
At the time of his passing, he was the second-oldest living person in Italy, after Lucia Laura Sangenito, as well as the third-oldest living man, after João Marinho Neto and Ken Weeks.
Following his passing, it’s believed Portuguese Joaquim Varela, 111, succeeded him as the oldest living man in Europe, while 109-year-old Angelo Peressini became Italy’s oldest living man.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Vitantonio Lovallo during this difficult time.
