Annibale Ciarniello (9 January 1900 in

Bagnoli del Trigno Bagnoli del Trigno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso and about northeast of Isernia Isernia () is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region ...

Province of Isernia The province of Isernia () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Molise region of Italy. The provincial capital is the city Isernia and the president of the province is Alfredo Ricci. The province of Isernia has an area of and a population o ...

– 3 January 2007) was one of the last surviving veterans of

the first World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

at the time of his death, as well as the oldest medical doctor in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and one of the oldest people in the country. Annibale was in the

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

's class of 1900, which were soldiers born in 1900 that enlisted in 1918 and were in non-combat rolls during the war in 1918. They were scheduled to be deployed into combat for the possible spring offensive in 1919, which never came, because the war ended when the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

was signed on 11 November 1918. In 1926, Ciarniello graduated from medical school at the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

where he studied for a degree in Medicine and Surgery. He was still a practicing doctor for his close family members until the last year of his life, because he felt such great satisfaction and pride from his work. He was married in 1939, fathered four sons and was a practicing doctor in the small town of

Sant'Agapito Sant'Agapito is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about west of Campobasso and about south of Isernia. Sant'Agapito borders the following municipalities: Isernia, Longano, Macchia d'Is ...

until twenty years before his death, when he moved to the town of

, which was the same town he was born in. Ciarniello thought that eating well kept a good balance between mind and body, and that it was a requirement for a long life. He talked fondly of his memories of when he was a student in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

as a young man, and he was proud to have seen the region of Molise and

province of Isernia The province of Isernia () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Molise region of Italy. The provincial capital is the city Isernia and the president of the province is Alfredo Ricci. The province of Isernia has an area of and a population o ...

grow and develop over the century. He died in his home town of Bagnoli del Trigno at age 106 years, 11 months, and was remembered as a grandfather of the region of Molise and for having been one of the most well known doctors in the rural province of Isernia where he lived and practiced medicine.

Bibliography

Annibale Ciarniello 106th birthday, La Gente D'Italia

1900 births 2007 deaths People from the Province of Isernia Italian men centenarians Italian military personnel of World War I {{Italy-mil-bio-stub