He gets up early, opens the café doors and welcomes the usual customers from a small Italian town. The routine has been repeated for decades and helps explain why, at 100 years old, Anna Possi’s case arouses curiosity when talking about longevity.
“Stay active” as a daily rule
Asked about what keeps her at the counter, Anna is direct: the secret is to stay active. Every day, at 7:00 am, she turns on the coffee maker, organizes the counter and gets ready for another morning of work at Bar Centrale, in Nebbiuno, the space she opened more than 60 years ago with her husband.
His connection to restaurants began as a teenager, when he finished his studies and went to work for his uncles, restaurant owners in Genoa. Years later, already married, she decided to open her own café; After her husband’s death in 1974, she kept the establishment running without interruption.
The “oldest waitress” in Italy
At 100 years old and one month away from 101, Anna is known locally as the “oldest waitress” in Italy. The daily presence at the counter became part of the place’s identity and a symbol of continuity for the community.
Over almost seven decades, Bar Centrale has preserved its long-standing clientele, with customers who today arrive accompanied by their grandchildren. Anna’s route also attracts curious visitors who want to know the story behind the café and the person who runs it.
Work as a routine and social gathering
For the owner, the café is more than a business. He describes it as a meeting point that connects different generations, reinforcing the social dimension of the space and the importance of keeping doors open every day.
The routine of waking up early, tidying the room and serving at the table became a habit. Daily repetition, he says, helps organize the day and preserve a sense of purpose, something he associates with well-being over time and, ultimately, longevity.
Between memory and the future
Anna remembers the period in which she started her career and the changes she saw in the sector. Despite the transformations, he maintained the same profession and the same address, relying on the experience acquired from his first steps in the kitchen and living room.
“I don’t know how long I can last, but I’m already 101 years old”, she states, quoted by , highlighting that she maintains her decision to continue as long as it makes sense. The immediate objective is simple: open at the same time tomorrow and repeat the routine that has accompanied it for a lifetime.
A business that is family
The Bar Centrale works as an extension of the house, which helps explain its stay. “This is like a family”, he summarizes, associating the café’s atmosphere with the bond he has created with customers and neighbors over the decades.
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