Vitantonio Lovallo, Italy's oldest man, has died at 112.

Vitantonio Lovallo, known to all as "Zitòn," has died in Avigliano, in the province of Potenza. He was 112 years old, the oldest man in Italy. He passed away in the rural hamlet of Sarnelli, where he was born and spent his entire life.

He was born on March 25, 1914, but was registered at the registry office three days later, on the 28th. Back then, to reach the town hall, one had to walk or ride a mule, about twenty kilometers. That life, marked from the very beginning by toil in the fields, became, over time, a piece of local and national history: a shepherd at 16, then a muleteer, a soldier and prisoner during the Second World War, and finally a farmer until his old age. He worked in the fields until he was 106. At 103, he was still herding sheep.

At his death, he was the second-longest-living person in Italy, behind Lucia Laura Sangenito, 115, of Sturno, in the province of Avellino, the oldest national figure and among the oldest people in the world. Lovallo was also the oldest male figure in Europe and the third-longest-living man on the planet. The title of Italy's oldest man now passes to Angelo Peressini.

"Today Avigliano loses a part of its history," said Mayor Giuseppe Mecca. "The passing of our dear Vitantonio Lovallo, known to all of us as Zitòn, saddens me deeply. His 112 years were not just the extraordinary milestone of a long life: within that life were more than a hundred years of our Avigliano, the sacrifices and values ​​of entire generations, the attachment to family, to the land, and to our roots."

The mayor added that he shared many moments with him, especially on his birthdays: "I will cherish the memory of his smile, his simplicity, and that authentic strength that is characteristic of the men of our land. Today we are not just saying goodbye to the oldest man in Italy. We are saying goodbye to one of our own. An Aviglianese who, with his presence, became a symbol and a living memory of our community." The funeral is scheduled for Thursday, September 17, at 10:30 a.m. in the Church of San Vincenzo Ferrer in Sarnelli. After the service, the body will be buried in the Lagopesole cemetery.