Pierina Sala was born in Fara Gera d’Adda, Lombardy, Italy, on 28 June 1910. Her parents were Cesare and Teresa. At the age of 20, she moved to Milan, where she started working as a dress maker in the district of Niguarda. Four years later, she married Enrico Ronchi, with whom she opened a grocery store in Niguarda.
Her husband passed away in 1990. Her younger sister, Alessandra, with whom she shared the same day of birth, lived to be 103. One of her grandsons is Roberto Camagni, who served as a deputy mayor of Milan in the council led by Paolo Pillitteri. When asked about the secret of her longevity by her family and friends, she said: “… working with people with pleasure makes you age better…. I have always liked being around people ”.
Pierina Sala passed away in Milan, Lombardy, Italy, on 20 February 2021, at the age of 110.
In 2010, on the occasion of her 100th birthday birthday, she was presented with the gold medal granted by the municipality of Milan.
Sala celebrated her 110th birthday in western Trentino with a typical lunch from the Chiese valley, together with her grandchildren, relatives and friends. For over 50 years, up until her passing, she would spent her holidays in western Trentino, between the Valle del Chiese and the Giudicarie.
At the time of death, she was the second-oldest known living person in the region of Lombardy, after Angela Tiraboschi.
Her age was verified by Paolo Scarabaggio, and validated by the ESO on 17 July 2023.
* “A 110 anni la signora Pierina torna in Trentino in vacanza Domenica il compleanno” – l’Adige.it, 26 June 2020
* “I 110 anni di Piera, la nonna di Milano: «Lavorare fa vivere molto a lungo»” – Corriere Milano, 26 June 2020
* “Per i 110 anni di Pierina un bel pranzo a Cimego e la telefonata di Mattarella – VIDEO” – l’Adige.it, 28 June 2020