Carla Villa is an Italian woman of 101 who will turn 102 on October 28. She has been living for 99 years in the same family home on Via San Marco, in Milan, where she moved when she was two years old. On the ground floor of the building was Drogaria Villa, opened by her father Luigi. Carla was a single mother in 1967, having decided to raise her son Thomas without the father's presence, whom she met at Jamaica Bar, a meeting point for artists in Brera. Being a single mother meant facing strong social prejudices at the time, but the family, namely her four brothers, supported her.
One of the most painful moments of her life was the death of her brother Aldo, at 22 years old, who left as a soldier during World War II and died in Russia, in the battle of the Don. Her mother, already ill, was never able to fully recover from the loss. Carla was the only girl among five siblings and is currently the last surviving member of the immediate family, having lost all her brothers.
In 1972, Carla opened an antique shop that closed in 1990, after about 18 years of activity. Years later, already retired and at the age of 78, she received an invitation to temporarily replace an employee who was on maternity leave at the bridal dress shop that occupied the same space. She accepted returning to work and described that experience as genuine, remaining passionate about fashion that has always been part of her life.
At 101 years old, Carla faces some mobility difficulties and a deterioration of vision, having the support of caregivers funded by the municipality and the accompaniment of her son Thomas. She continues to be interested in fashion and current affairs, having designed her own dresses when she was younger and having attended the reopening of the Teatro alla Scala after the war wearing a dress designed by herself.
