The “forgotten” remains of an Italian woman have been found sitting at a table more than two years after she died, reports say.

The death of 70-year-old Marinella Beretta, who was found in her home in Prestino near Lake Como in Lombardy, has prompted calls in the country for better care for older people.

The woman, who lived alone, is believed to have no relatives and had not been seen by her neighbours since September 2019.

They reportedly assumed she had moved away at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which hit northern Italy in early 2020.

Her body was found last Friday by the Como fire brigade following complaints a tree had fallen in her garden as a result of overgrown vegetation, a Como City Hall press officer Francesca Manfredi confirmed to CNN.

Her cause of death is unknown but based on the level of decay, she is believed to have died in late 2019.

Police found nothing at the scene to suggest foul play.

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Como mayor Mario Landriscina said her death must be a “moment of reflection”.

He invited local residents to attend her funeral, for which a date has not yet been set, adding: “It is a tragedy that occurred in a context complicated by the pandemic, from a closed and isolated city.

“Who knows how much this woman suffered. Now is the time to give a witness and I invite the city to be present.”

The minister for family and equal opportunities, Elena Bonetti, said her “forgotten” death hurt the conscience of Italy.

“We have a duty, as a community that wants to remain united, to remember her life … no one must be left alone,” she wrote on Facebook.

Nearly 40% of over-75-year-olds in Italy live alone, according to a 2018 report by the national statistics institute.

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