BIOGRAPHY

Campanini was born in Lesignano de’ Bagni, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Her exact birth date is uncertain—either January 16 or 17, 1910—due to the common practice of registering births a day late. She was the fifth of eleven siblings. She began working as a young girl, first serving in a household and later working in the fields. She recalled making “la fojeda” (puff pastry) on a stool, biking to the city from Pilastrello to buy meat, and dealing with water snakes while planting rice as a mondina.

At 18, she married laborer Luigi Calzetti, and they built a home in Corcagnano.

At the age of 104, she remarked that there was no particular secret to reaching such an age. She attributed her longevity to a combination of hard work and plenty of rest (having been retired for 50 years by then), a robust physique, and a good dose of irony. After turning 110, she became one of the oldest voters in Italy, casting her vote at the Corcagnano polling station during the Emilia-Romagna regional elections, which saw president Stefano Bonaccini win. At the time, she lived with her only daughter Giacomina (born 1930), aged 90. She also had two granddaughter and three great-granddaughters.

Irma Campanini passed away in Corcagnano, near Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on 5 July 2020, at the age of 110 years, 170 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Irma, la supernonna ancora in firma a 104 anni” – Gazzetta di Parma, 3 July 2014

* “La nonna record vota a 110 anni, trionfa di nuovo l’Emilia-Romagna per longevità” – Le Iene, 27 January 2020

* “Addio a Irma, aveva 110 anni ed era la donna più anziana di Parma” – la Repubblica, 7 July 2020

GALLERY