Luigi and Pompilia have been together for 82 years.

They are the most beautiful and enduring couple in Italy: Luigi, 103, and Pompilia, a full century of life, have been together for 82 years, precisely since they married in 1944. They met during the Second World War. Pompilia lived in San Giovanni Ilarione, in the Verona area, while Luigi lived in Gambara, in the Brescia area. Luigi would cycle about 70 kilometers to visit an uncle who was a priest in her hometown. From those frequent encounters, an engagement arose: three years of courtship, with long bike rides and few opportunities to see each other, before they decided to marry. On their wedding night, each returned to their own home, and only after a few months did Luigi and Pompilia Pecori manage to move into their home in Monzambano, in the province of Mantua, which initially lacked even doors. 

Their union produced three children: Angelo, Maria, and Pierina, and today the family also includes seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Their days are always spent together, including prayers in Latin and visits from their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They have no particular secrets to reveal to explain their long married life, except for one word they practice every day: kindness. Every morning and every evening, for example, they exchange two simple key words: good morning and good night. They argue every day, even over whether he still wants to kiss her ("My wife is still a beautiful woman," he says), but they have one rule: they make up by the end of the day, they don't prolong family conflicts. And that's also why the couple has lasted 82 years.  

Cover image source: Mantova Uno

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