Novara was born in Paceco, a town in Sicily’s Trapani province, on 4 May 1913. She married a man named Ingardia, with whom she had a son, Biagio, and a daughter, Giuseppa. She worked in the countryside for several decades and was widowed in the late 1990s.

As a centenarian, Novara lived a peaceful life and still lived independently at the age of 106. Aged 104, she was reported to be the oldest resident of Paceco.

Novara’s son died on 30 September 2022. At the time of her 110th birthday, she had one living child, along with two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.