BIOGRAPHY

Maria Arcangela Cirucci was born in Piazza Umberto I in Riccia, Molise, Italy, on 11 May 1915. She lost her brother Francesco, who was in his early 20s, to complications from a fall on the eve of his wedding. She completed her education up to the fifth grade. A passionate student, she loved learning and enjoyed every subject. Her enthusiasm was so great that, as an adult, she would begin evening school sessions on her own while waiting for the teacher to arrive.

She married her husband, Nicola, who returned to her after spending six years at the front during World War II. She described him as a hardworking, reserved, honest, and meticulous man. She spent her entire life in Riccia, except during the war, when she moved to a farmhouse a few kilometers away in the countryside while her husband was serving at the front in Libya. Together, they had two children, Franca and Carmine. Their son, Carmine Donato, sadly passed away in adulthood from an incurable illness. She was widowed in 1970.

A devout woman, she maintained a daily practice of prayer. Even in her centenarian years, her days were still marked by the recitation of rosaries and prayers, often accompanied by the television. She was also a devoted member of the church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

Throughout her adult life, she held various jobs, including seamstress, embroiderer, cook, hotelier, and petrol station attendant. She remained active and energetic well into her centenarian years. For many hours, she would weave cotton threads into intricate crochet pieces, continuing this craft for as long as her eyesight permitted. In her later years, diminishing vision forced her to give up reading magazines and newspapers. Nevertheless, she stayed informed by following the news on television.

Her diet included sugar simply because she enjoyed it—she added two teaspoons to her coffee every day. She followed a balanced and varied diet that featured pasta with sauce, meat, vegetable purées, and fruit smoothies. She avoided excesses and never drank wine. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she would say: “Commitment and sacrifice, kindness and faith. I have never held back, I have always loved others, and I have never argued with anyone.”

At the age of 109, she had four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. When asked if she had any regrets, she replied that it was never having obtained a driver’s license—something she wished she had done, especially after becoming a widow, so she could travel wherever she wanted.

RECOGNITION

On 31 March 2024, following the passing of 110-year-old Michele Cicora, she became the oldest living person in the Molise region, at the age of 108 years, 325 days.

In May 2025, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming the first female supercentenarian in the Molise region and the second supercentenarian overall, after Michele Cicora (1913–2024). The region had previously had supercentenarian women, but they were born there and later moved away.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Il record di zia Mariuccia, compie 107 e ai giovani dice: “Rispettate gli anziani”” – Il giornale del Molise, 12 May 2022

* “Zia Mariuccia ha compiuto 108 anni. Ora è la donna più anziana del Molise” – Primonumero, 13 May 2023

* “Mariuccia Cirucci di Riccia compie 109 anni: “Il mio rimpianto? non ho mai preso la patente”” – Il giornale del Molise, 11 May 2024

* “Riccia, 110 primavere per Maria Arcangela Cirucci: è la donna più longeva del Molise” – Quotidiano del Molise, 11 May 2025

GALLERY