BIOGRAPHY

Iolanda Giovanardi was born in Imola, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on 2 March 1906. As a young girl, she worked as a sales assistant in a manufacturing store. At the age of 20, she married and moved to Trieste, where her husband, Luigi Santi, had found work as a waiter at the Negozianti café on Via Carducci.

The following year, their first son, Oscar, was born, and in 1935, they welcomed their daughter, Nives. During the Second World War, Luigi and Oscar were relocated from Trieste by order of the Labor Service, leaving her and Nives alone at home. To support themselves in the absence of the men, she sewed uniforms for soldiers.

Even in her later years, she remained remarkably healthy—aside from a mild case of diabetes and the need to use a wheelchair, she experienced no serious health issues. Her grandson, Paolo, recalled, “She was a woman who always knew how to adapt to any situation and change without difficulty or complaint.”

Iolanda Giovanardi passed away in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, on 15 December 2016, at the age of 110 years, 288 days.

RECOGNITION

Giovanardi’s age was verified by Paolo Scarabaggio and validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) on 28 July 2021.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Le 108 candeline sulla torta di Iolanda, la nonna di Trieste” – Il Piccolo, 1 March 2014

* “Compleanno record a Trieste: Iolanda ha compiuto 109 anni” – TriestePrima, 2 March 2015

* “Trieste in festa: la donna più anziana in città compie gli anni, raggiunti i 110” – TriestePrima, 1 March 2016

* Giovanardi Olanda – Il Piccolo

GALLERY