ROME — To celebrate her birthday, Emma Morano did what many people do: She blew out candles, received gifts and basked in the attention of well-wishers.

But because Ms. Morano turned 117 on Tuesday, making her the oldest person in the world and the only living person who was born in the 1800s, her birthday was not exactly a private affair.

Some of the festivities were broadcast live on the Italian state broadcaster, RAI, on Tuesday morning, following newspaper articles celebrating her age. And journalists, photographers, relatives and researchers crowded into her tiny two-room apartment in Pallanza, a picturesque Italian town on the Piedmont shore of Lake Maggiore.

Birthday greetings came by way of elementary school children who sent poster-size cards; sundry town officials; and President Sergio Mattarella, who wished her “serenity and good health” on behalf of all Italians.