She's the longest-lived grandmother in Ogliastra, but with her age, she's among the oldest in Sardinia. Battistina Piras was born on September 17, 1919, and today she turns 107. When the weather's nice, she hangs out laundry on the balcony in her hometown of Osini, a village of 700 souls at the foot of the imposing Tacchi d'Ogliastra, where many people live to be long-lived.
There are currently six centenarians, with Grandma Battistina leading the way. This morning she received Mayor Alfredo Cannas, with whom she chatted on the sofa at home. A headband on her head keeps her hair in place, and gold earrings and a bracelet complete her outfit. The secret to her smooth skin? The cream she uses every day. "I use it because it makes me more beautiful. I still go to the beautician," says Grandma Battistina. On the phone, the conversation flows smoothly. "I feel young; I have a terrible memory." She knows that 107 is a significant age, something that's starting to smell like Guinness. "I don't know how I got there; only God can know, not even scientists. I pray to Saint Susanna and Saint George every day."
Saints venerated by the community of Osini for centuries. "Life here in Osini is good, the air is good. I've always behaved well in my life, and everyone in town loves me." She was about twenty when World War II broke out, a time she tells an anecdote about: "We went to Tortolì in search of food because there was none here. My husband had been called up and was in Arbatax. That day the port was bombed. Anyone who wages war is not a true Christian." Today for lunch, Grandma Battistina will have tortellini and roast beef fillet. "Desserts? Very, very few."
