Franca Pilla
Franca Pilla | |
|---|---|
Pilla in 2000 | |
| Companion of the President of Italy | |
| In role 18 May 1999 – 15 May 2006 | |
| President | Carlo Azeglio Ciampi |
| Preceded by | Marianna Scalfaro |
| Succeeded by | Clio Maria Bittoni |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 December 1920 Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Kingdom of Italy |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Franca Pilla (born 18 December 1920), sometimes known as Franca Ciampi, is a former first lady of Italy, serving during the presidency of her husband, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. She is the oldest living former first lady in the world.
Biography
Pilla was born in Reggio Emilia on 18 December 1920. At the age of 18, she met her future husband, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. They met at a "dancing tea" which at the time was a respectable way for youth to meet. The tea was organised by mothers, and boys and girls would be allowed to practise dancing with each other.[1]
Following one year of engagement since the end of World War II, in which Ciampi had been a soldier and then a resistance fighter, Pilla married him in Bologna in 1946. They spent over seventy years together[2] during which time her husband was prime minister, director and governor of Italy's central bank, minister of finance, and other positions, and later president; he died on 16 September 2016.[3]
During a tour of Naples, in the south of Italy, she was quoted as saying that the Italians in the South were better and more intelligent.[2] She was known for her openness, giving the pope advice when they met and encouraging people to read and to ignore the TV.[2]
Pilla turned 100 on 18 December 2020.[4] As of 2026, at the age of 105, she is the oldest living former first lady in the world.[5]
See also
- List of living centenarians
- List of centenarians (politicians and civil servants)
- Companion of the president of the Italian Republic
References
- ^ Giannini, Massimo (8 December 2000). "Franca Ciampi racconta "Ottant'anni di felicità"". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "I 100 anni di Franca Ciampi, la first lady che conquistò l'Italia". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 19 December 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ Emsden, Christopher (16 September 2016). "Italy's Former President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Dies Aged 95". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ Fiori, Simonetta (18 December 2020). "Auguri Franca, la nostra First Lady" [Happy Birthday Franca, our First Lady]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Franca Ciampi spegne 105 candeline: 'Ricordo ancora le cento tappe in Italia con Carlo'". il Giornale (in Italian). 18 December 2025. Archived from the original on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
External links
Media related to Franca Pilla at Wikimedia Commons
Italian Wikiquote has quotations related to: Franca Pilla