BIOGRAPHY

Fiorelli was born in Tolfa, Rome, Italy, on 13 January 1913. Her mother and sister both caught the Spanish flu, but Fiorelli herself did not. At the age of 16, she ran away to a convent in France to take her vows and become a nun. However, a few months later, she decided that the life of a nun was not for her, and moved back to Rome.

Fiorelli graduated in accounting, and later became a governess to a builder’s family. At the age of 45, she married a man 10 years her junior. After her marriage, she became employed with the Ministry of Health and worked there until her retirement.

Fiorelli received the COVID-19 vaccine on New Years Eve 2020 aged 107. She claimed that the secret of her longevity was “eat little, work a lot, and pray a lot.” She caught COVID-19 in 2021, and had her third vaccine shortly after recovering.

Fiorina Fiorelli passed away in Tolfa, Rome, Lazio, Italy on 18 April 2023 at the age of 110 years, 95 days.

RECOGNITION

Fiorelli was recognised in many news outlets when she received the COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, she was one of the oldest people to have received it, as well as one of the first in Italy.

Her age was verified by Paolo Scarabaggio, and validated by the ESO on 11 April 2023.

At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest known living person in Lazio, behind Antonia Manzi.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Italy: 107-year-old woman gets covid-19 vaccine” – Wanted in Rome, 2 January 2021

* “Nonna Fiorina Fiorelli festeggia 109 anni a Tolfa” – Terzo Binario, 17 January 2022

* “Fiori, torta e musica per i 110 anni della signora Fiorina” Civonline, 15 January 2023

* “Addio a nonna Fiorina, la decana del Quinta Stella: aveva 110 anni” Terzo Binario, 18 April 2023

GALLERY