“I have had a simple life.”
Maria Carla Castiglioni is born in Milan in 1920. Her parents come from a village in the province of Varese. Her mother is a housewife and her father, a foreman, manages a very active construction company in the city of Milan. Maria Castiglioni, as she likes to be called, lives an ordinary childhood, without particularly remarkable events, alongside her three siblings: Agnese, Ugo, and the youngest, Cleme, born in 1926.
At school, Maria Castiglioni stands out for her liveliness and insight, qualities that later lead her to become a teacher. She teaches at the Institute of the Marcelline Sisters, Piazza Tommaseo in Milan. Single, she is always interested in the lives of her students. She enjoys school performances open to the public, friendships with the religious teachers, and appreciates the warm atmosphere of her working environment.
After her retirement, Maria Castiglioni gives private lessons at home and takes care of her elderly mother as well as her sister Agnese, who falls ill after her husband’s death. She accompanies them alone until the end of their lives, her brother Cleme working abroad. He settles in Switzerland for his work: a specialist in large construction projects, he participates in the construction of the underground part of Lugano. In Milan, he also completes more than a hundred works.
At 105, Maria Castiglioni lives in Lugano at her brother’s place, in an apartment overlooking the lake. He welcomes her willingly, grateful for the care she devoted to their mother and sister. Maria Castiglioni, for her part, is grateful to her brother for his constant attention, but wishes she could again do many things alone, without depending on him or home care.
A woman born in the first half of the 20th century, Maria Castiglioni often reflects on the profound transformations of the world. She believes that life used to be simpler and more joyful, even though she lived through the Fascist period.
Reaching over 100 years seems “normal” to her. Maria Castiglioni enjoys good health; she has never suffered from serious health problems, except for a fall that caused a cerebral hemorrhage, from which she nonetheless recovered. She follows a simple diet and drinks little wine.
In recounting her story, Maria Carla Castiglioni describes a simple existence, almost “flat,” without great emotions, devoted to teaching and caring for her sister. Her brother describes her as a passionate, proud, and very stubborn woman.