In 2011, an Italian couple named Antonio and Rosa became the world’s oldest divorcees. Aged 99 and 96 respectively, their marriage had lasted almost eight decades – until a heartbreaking discovery.
Push came to shove when Antonio discovered letters his wife had exchanged with a former flame. She reportedly admitted to the affair and tried to convince him to stick it out. The letters were from the 1940s, evidence of an affair that had happened several decades before the couple’s eventual divorce. Antonio reportedly found them in an old chest of drawers, just days before Christmas of 2011.
77-year marriage ended after shock discovery of romantic letters
As reported in the Telegraph, Antonio C unearthed a trove of letters exchanged between his wife – at the time – and a former flame during the lead up to Christmas.
The letters had been waiting in an old chest of drawers for years, probably decades. Rosa C – their surnames aren’t listed beyond the first letter in the court papers – reportedly owned up to the affair. She petitioned her husband of almost eight decades to stay with her, but to little avail.
He went ahead with the divorce, making the former couple the world’s oldest ever divorcees.
They snatch the unenviable title from Bertie and Jessie Wood, from the UK, who ended their marriage in 2009 after 36 years of wedlock, both aged 98.
Antonio and Rosa had five children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The Italian couple met in the same decade helicopters and walkie-talkies were invented
Antonio and Rosa C met in the 1930s. He was originally from Sardinia, but serving as part of the Italian Carabinieri in Naples – her hometown.
Sardinia is a large island off Italy’s west coast. To its south lies the Italian island of Sicily, made famous by The Godfather films and its colossal volcano, Mount Etna. Sardinia is known, among other things, for the Costa Smeralda, a 20km stretch of coastline with house prices of nearly $400,000 per square meter.
The Carabinieri, formally ‘Arma dei Carabinieri’, or Arm of Carabineers, are the national gendarmerie of Italy. The word ‘gendarme’ comes from the French for “men-at-arms”. Gendarmeries are military forces with law enforcement duties. They share characteristics with police forces and militaries.
Italian press at the time quipped the couple’s southern blood catalyzed the breakup. But seeing as they spent 77 years together, it can’t have had too much of an effect.
Netizens have been sharing their thoughts on the unfortunate turn of events on Reddit. One joked that Antonio would be gearing up to “get a motorcycle and start dating a some hot young 81-year-old”. Another suggested a “motorized chair” might be more appropriate.
Italian divorce rates compared with the rest of the world
Italy’s divorce rate is hardly an outlier. According to World Population Review, the country has a divorce rate of 1.4 per 1,000 people per year. That’s roughly on par with Uzbekistan, Serbia and the Faroe Islands (north of Scotland).
The US territory of Guam has the highest divorce rate, 4.3 per 1,000 people per year. That’s significantly higher than the country in second position, Georgia (3.8).
Belarus and Moldova, both in Eastern Europe, also have comparatively high divorce rates. The US’ divorce rate is similar to those of Iran, Kazakhstan and Sweden, while the UK’s lies between them and Italy’s, roughly on par with Belgium, Portugal and Israel.
Venezuela and Vietnam have among the lowest rates of divorce, according to the statistics accessible to World Population Review.
USA Today reported earlier this year on the rise of so-called “gray divorces”. These are legal separations among older adults – as in, those with graying hair. Among the factors affecting the increase, the site explains, are aging populations, people staying healthier for longer, and couples marrying later.
