Longevity and Sardinia’s centenarians were protagonists in December 2022 in Cagliari in the spaces of the Manifattura Tabacchi in a five-day event attended by more than 1,000 people in the debates, talks, cooking and food processing workshops, and film screenings that animated the project promoted by the association Ogliastra Eventi together with the ITS Blue Zone Foundation With the contribution of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia – Department of Tourism. The cultural event “One Hundred Years Together! Days of experiential tourism among the secrets of longevity” thus aimed to promote the healthy and active lifestyle that has characterized the Blue Zone towns of Sardinia for centuries, made internationally famous by the exceptional longevity of their inhabitants.

Lots of prominent guests, including journalist Edoardo Raspelli, Italian journalist, writer, gastronome and TV host who during the opening conference entitled: “Life style of long life” said, “Sardinia represents an environment to be relaunched even out of season, focusing on its food and wine riches that are unique in the world. When I arrive in this wonderful land I do not only want to enjoy the beautiful and unspoiled nature but also, and above all, taste to taste the local products that I can only find here.”

Germano Orrù (Uni.CA Department of Surgical Sciences) presented an international study that can open new scenarios in the knowledge of the longevity phenomenon: “Thanks to centenarians, Sardinia can become an international research hub and retain young Sardinian scientists in their own land. Thanks to the study of the microbiota, we can create a database that will already allow us to better understand how some diseases are born and how we can best fight them.”

From his song, Grazia Fenu Pintori (Dept. of Biomedical Sciences Uni. SS) spoke about the study of Sardinia’s genetic isolate: “It is essential to discover and know which genes have contributed to this phenomenon, this allows us to better understand and fight diseases, from the most trivial to the rarest. Lifestyle, climate and (epigentical) diet do not change DNA but stimulate that genetic ‘click’ that we can see in the study of the centenarian populations of Sardinia.”

For Flavio Cabitza (Association for the Protection and Identity of Ogliastra and Barbagia di Seulo), deputy mayor of Perdasdefogu, which boasts the world record for longevity with as many as 8 centenarians with a population of just under 1,800, the centenarian lifestyle can become a new way to sell our island abroad, not only white beaches and unspoiled nature but also an enviable climate and proper nutrition: “Defending our genetic heritage will be key to making Sardinia a magnet for scientific research at the international level.”

Operating partner the ITS Blue Zone Foundation, which spoke with president Gian Battista Usai who spoke about an initiative that involves Sardinian and in the future also Italian and foreign youngsters every summer: “The longevity campuses organized in Ogliastra during the summer period give all young ITS students the opportunity to enjoy the summer in Sardinia and, at the same time, study to learn about the centenarian lifestyle. Knowing how our long-lived predecessors lived and learning how to replicate their recipes is crucial to passing on the traditions of Sardinia.”

An event strongly supported by the Regional Department of Tourism. The consultant Roberta Loi Praising Ogliastra Eventi’s initiative, he said, “When we plan activities to promote Sardinia, we do so by following a specific format that seeks to promote the whole area as a whole. Promoting Sardinia’s food and wine and the lifestyle of centenarians helps make us better known because being part of one of the world’s 5 Blue Zones is an important calling card.” A concept also reiterated by the chief of staff Andrea Cocco: “We are fortunate to live on a mainland island that is home to natural, linguistic and cultural wonders and uniqueness. The phenomenon of longevity in Sardinia gives us the opportunity to make ourselves known in the world not only in terms of tourism but also in medical and scientific terms; the study of this unique heritage will allow us to make great strides in scientific research as well.”

The rich program fielded in Cagliari aimed to intervene on the themes of culture, science, education and experiential tourism around which it is possible to build a strategy that intends to act on the territorial vocations and cultural and identity characteristics of the area to increase its tourist attraction.

Huge success for cooking workshops held by Ogliastra chef Piergiorgio Cardia which presented the centenarians’ menu featuring the food of long life. The many participants were called upon to get hands-on with the preparation of culurgiones, casu axedu, and honey, with a tasting of the products that have made this part of Sardinia world famous.

Finally, the screening of the short film “The Centenarian Club”, a 2017 documentary directed by Pietro Mereu which recounts the lives and secrets of centenarians in the mountain community of Ogliastra, the largest in the world in terms of concentration, seeking to understand what scientific assumptions explain such longevity combined with a rural and peasant lifestyle.