He was the last veteran of the Alpine Front in the First World War, following the June 2008 death of the penultimate Italian Francesco Domenico Chiarello.

At the time of his death, there two other trench veterans survived: Britons Harry Patch and Frenchman Fernand Goux, who fought on the Western Front.

Borroni, a mechanic, was born in Giussago, in the province of Pavia; he was called up in January 1917, and assigned to the 6th Bersaglieri Regiment in March.

He was seriously wounded as a civilian, a tram driver, in an Allied air raid during World War II.

The Italian Government's Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa attended the funeral.