Anna Decanini sat among 80-plus friends—and lots of family—on Saturday afternoon, gathered in a community room at Brightview on New Canaan to mark a very special day.
Anna Decanini, sitting second from left at her 105th birthday celebration, surrounded by family, L-R: daughter Daniela Leone, granddaughter Michelle Riley and her husband, Rich Riley, both of New Canaan. June 26, 2026. Credit: Michael Dinan
Born June 26, 1921 in New York City and living for four decades in Italy until returning to the U.S. in her 50s, Decanini is clear-minded, articulate and fully mobile.
Asked how she felt on her 105th birthday, Decanini said, “I’m feeling very good. I’m a healthy woman. I’m six years here [at Brightview] and I never had a doctor. Just a flu once. I’ve had a nice life, and I thank God. I never thought that I would live to 105 and feel like this. My mind is good. Not that I want to brag, but I always read books and I’m intelligent. I was an intelligent student, and I still am.”
Anna in Florence in her 30s.
She added: “I’m Italian and I ate very well, and I drink a little wine every night.”
Asked red or white, Decanini shrugged and said, “Anything. Either one. Just a half a glass. That’s it.”
A piano player belted out “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” “Sentimental Journey,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and several renditions of “Happy Birthday” as Decanini—sitting before a massive happy birthday poster at the front of the room—chatted with fellow Brightview residents and family members, including her daughter Daniela Leone and granddaughter Michelle Riley of New Canaan.
The cake for Anna Decanini’s 105th. Credit: Michael Dinan
Addressing the crowd that sat in rows for the festivities—including a huge cake—Cher Santiago, Brightview’s senior vibrant living director, said that Decanini has an espresso after lunch and, after dinner with wine, “always chooses what she wants for the next day.”
“She’s just amazing,” Santiago said.
Doug Riggs, president of the Resident Council and “poet laureate” at Brightview, according to the facility’s staff, noted that although he doesn’t know Decanini too well, he often sees her “streaking along in her walker.” He read out this original poem honoring the birthday girl:
So Anna’s now 105,
And by all accounts continues to thrive.
She’s a great talker, and our speediest walker:
Stay out of her way, and stay alive.
The baby in the baptism gown is Daniela Leone, Anna’s daughter, with her godparents – Renato Puccinelli (Anna’s younger brother by 10 years) and her cousin Rina Venturini.
At age 11, Decanini moved from the U.S. to Lucca in Italy’s Tuscany region with her parents and younger brother, Renato, according to a biography composed by Michelle Riley. A standout student with an aptitude for languages (especially French, and she spoke English fluently), she helped her father with the hotel and restaurant he ran—and during World War II, it became a haven for U.S. soldiers stationed in the area. She met the love of her life, Raffaello “Lello” Decanini from Vorno in 1946, marrying on Aug. 1 of that year. They were married 66 years (he passed away in 2012). Moving back to the United States in their 50s with daughter Daniela, she is grandmother to three and great-grandma to six. A devoted lifelong Catholic and movie-lover, Decanini is highly creative, a talent that shows in the kitchen and far beyond—to poker, puzzles, penmanship and poetry.
Anna and Raffaello Decanini in their early 70s.
Several family members—including her daughter, son-in-law John Leone, grandson Marc Leone, grandson-in-law Rich Riley of New Canaan and great-granddaughter Ally Riley— took up the mic to express love and admiration for Decanini, calling her an inspiration.
Michelle Riley said that celebrating her grandmother’s 105th birthday was “not something that I ever thought would have been possible.”
New Canaan’s Michelle Riley speaks during her grandmother’s 105th birthday celebration at Brightview on New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
“But I feel like the luckiest person around because I get to come here every day and visit and spend time and sit and laugh and talk and be part of my grandmother’s everyday life,” Riley said. “And what a gift that is. And not just for me to spend time with my grandmother, but also to know all of you, because Brightview is the most wonderful place. It makes me happy when I come here because in my life that is so frantic and hectic and busy, when I come to Brightview, it makes me slow down, and it makes me realize that what’s important is spending time with people that you love, getting into a good routine and staying focused on a good routine, and being present for the moment. And being present is such a gift. And my grandmother, nonna Anna, gave me that gift because she came to live close to me and my family and I will forever, ever, ever be joyful about that. So I just want to say cheers to all of us for being here to witness this amazing woman turn 105 and show us that it’s really a fantastic thing to live each day, to make the most of life, and to be joyful and positive every minute that you can. Love you, nonna.”