A new candidate beyond the original zone

In 1999, a cluster of remote villages on the slopes of Sardinia's central and eastern provinces was classified among the world's five 'blue zones', the areas known for high concentrations of centenarians. The other four are Okinawa in Japan, the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece and Loma Linda in California, and the findings showed Sardinia's zone was expanding.

Now Bolotana, in the Margine area about 70 miles (110km) from that original zone, has emerged as a new candidate, researchers say. Giovanni Mario Pes, the study's lead scientist and a co-creator of the blue zone concept, framed the discovery as a first.

What the study found

A study by professors at the University of Sassari and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, published in Frontiers in Aging, found that 13.8% of Bolotana women who reach the age of 70 live to 100, placing the village second in the world for female longevity after Hong Kong. In Italy overall, 3.5% of women who make it to 70 reach the century mark, and the number of Italian centenarians has more than doubled since 2009.

The researchers analysed records of people born in Bolotana between 1900 and 1925 and found 38 had lived beyond 100, a longevity rate 57% higher than the Italian national average. Other figures from the centenarian study in Sardinia:

• •The study began in 2024.
• •As of last year there were 12 centenarians among a population of 2,266, roughly 12 times the Sardinian average.
• •Six have since died, and the six who are left are all women, the two eldest being 102.
• •More are expected to reach 100 by the end of this year and during 2027.

Why women live so long here

The trend is driven by women, and Pes said Bolotana is exceptional for that reason: "Whereas the original zone had an unusual balance between the two sexes, here female longevity prevails."

"The extraordinary thing is that the longevity of the women in Bolotana is three times higher than that of most western women", Pes said. He declined to hypothesise about longevity secrets, saying the study was "limited to pointing out the existence of the phenomenon". What struck him most were the "very intense and very real social relations" the centenarian women maintained throughout their lives.

He cited Giovanna Marras, 101, who lives with her sister: "They live together, they cook together, they talk to each other easily", said Pes. "There was absolutely no sign of cognitive decline."

The mayor's view and Italy's wider picture

Bolotana's mayor, Francesco Manconi, told Corriere della Sera: "I'm not a scientist but it's probably a mix of things", citing a clean, fresh diet. He noted that nobody renounced seada, a traditional local pastry filled with cheese, or mustazzolus, a spiced biscuit often eaten at breakfast. He added that the uncontaminated nature around the village and physical activity could play a role, though Bolotana has no gym.

Italy's wider numbers point the same way. As of November 2025, official statistics showed 23,548 residents aged 100 or over, up 2,000 from the previous year, of whom 82.6% were women. Women also lead among the country's 724 semi-supercentenarians, people aged 105 and over, and among the 19 supercentenarians aged 110-plus.

In Bolotana itself, the six remaining centenarians are all women, the eldest two aged 102, with more expected to reach 100 by the end of this year and during 2027.