The secret to longevity of the 112-year-old man revealed

Vitantonio Lovallo, the oldest man in Europe, has passed away at the age of 112 years and 171 days. Known by the nickname "Ziton", Lovallo passed away on September 15 in the Italian city of Avigliano.

According to official records, he was born on March 28, 1914, in the village of Sarnelli near Avigliano. Lovallo worked as a shepherd starting from the age of 16.

He met his future wife in the village as well. The woman had come to Sarnelli to recover after suffering from pleurisy. The couple married in 1936 and had four children: Lucia born in 1938, Vincenzo born in 1940, Maria born in 1946, and another son born in 1952.

However, a few months after Vincenzo was born, he died of meningitis. Lovallo's wife passed away in 2015 at the age of 98 from leukemia.

During World War II, Lovallo was sent to the front and was captured by German troops in Greece in 1943.

He was initially held on the island of Rhodes, and then taken to Germany. There he was kept in the Stalag VIII C camp and was liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945. During his captivity, he was forced to do hard labor such as railway construction.

Upon returning to his homeland, Lovallo worked as a mule driver and toiled with the land for decades.

After Michele Cicora passed away on March 31, 2024, Lovallo became the oldest living man in Italy. He was also the first man from the Basilicata region to reach 110 years of age.

After the Romanian Ilie Ciocan passed away on May 27, 2026, Lovallo attained the status of the oldest living man in Europe.

At 103, he shared his secret to longevity

At the age of 103, Lovallo cited a healthy and peaceful lifestyle as the main reason for his longevity.

Interestingly, even at this age, he was able to work with a hoe and pruning shears. Lovallo lived in the village and continued to work until he was 106. He herded sheep, tended to vineyards and fields. Later, he engaged only in raising rabbits and chickens.

He never obtained a driver's license and was not interested in riding a bicycle either. He mostly traveled around the village with the help of a mule.

Family members noted that his diet was mostly close to the Mediterranean style. His diet was rich in legumes, locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Even after turning 100, he continued to drink a glass of wine he prepared with his own hands alongside his meals. Over the years, his main medicine consisted of a daily aspirin and a few supplements.

Lovallo maintained his independence even in old age. It is said that he even shaved himself until he was 109 years old.

His granddaughter, Sara Lovallo, spoke to Italian media about her grandfather's attitude toward life.

“My grandfather loved his land and always appreciated life,” she said.

Lovallo kept a diary even during his captivity in the war years. In one of his entries, he noted that he went through those days very hard, and then chose life.

Lovallo's funeral was held on September 17 in Sarnelli, and he was later buried in Lagopesole.

Following his death, 111-year-old Joaquim Varela of Portugal became the oldest known living man on the European continent.