BIOGRAPHY

Luigi Tomasi was born in Maso Corona, near Ala, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy (then Austria-Hungary), on 17 October 1908. He grew up in a large family with seven siblings. He vividly recalled the World War I era, including an encounter with Italian soldiers who had swiftly occupied the area around Ala. One day, while he and his sisters were in the fields gathering leaves for silkworms, they were stopped by Italian soldiers for a routine check. After holding them for a day, the soldiers released the children. In 1917, his mother and siblings were evacuated to Savona. He recalled sleeping in a factory on makeshift camp beds during that time. During their time in Savona, his mother fell ill with pneumonia and passed away at the age of 45, shortly after they returned to Trentino. Luigi was only 11 years old.

Luigi Tomasi married Maria Bazzanella in 1930, and together they had eight children. After his marriage, Luigi worked the lands of the Malfatti Counts, who owned estates in Ala and Padua. During World War II, Luigi was deployed to Brunico but returned to Ala during his leave to continue working in the fields. Later, he was sent to fight on the French front at the Maddalena Pass. He recalled it was late June 1940, yet there was still a significant amount of snow—so much that several soldiers, likely due to inadequate equipment, suffered from frostbite on their feet. Their unit had 40 mules and was attached to the 35th Alpine Field Hospital in Bolzano. They used the mules to transport food and equipment and to carry wounded soldiers back to safety. In the autumn of 1940, a circular was issued mandating that fathers with at least four children be granted leave. Luigi qualified and returned home. However, he was soon mobilized again, along with others who owned draft animals, to work first for the Italian army and later for the German army. At the end of the war, the counts sold their land. As severance pay, Luigi received three hectares of farmland. Now a landowner, he continued cultivating it to provide for his family and make a living, retiring around the age of 80.

In August 2015, at the age of 106, he started attending the Senior Citizens’ Center run by the Vallagarina community.

Luigi Tomasi passed away in Rovereto, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy, on 7 December 2018, at the age of 110 years, 51 days.

RECOGNITION

On 2 August 2018, following the passing of 110-year-old Lorenzo Berzero, he became the oldest living person in Italy, at the age of 109 years, 289 days. He held the title until his own passing in December, when he was succeeded by Salvatore Cavallo.

His age was verified by Alessandro Delucchi, and validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) on 16 May 2021.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Luigi, il nonno record da 107 anni” – Giornale Trentino, 12 January 2016

* “Ad Ala compie 108 anni il “nonno” del Trentino” – Giornale Trentino, 14 October 2016

* “E’ trentino l’alpino più longevo d’ Italia, festa ad Ala per i suoi 109 anni” – Giornale Trentino, 18 October 2017

* “Il più vecio dei veci” – Associazione Nazionale Alpini, 9 October 2018

GALLERY