Bolotana in Sardinia Emerges as Potential New Centenarian 'Blue Zone', Study Finds

The study, by researchers at the University of Sassari in Sardinia and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States, found that 13.8% of women in Bolotana who reach the age of 70 will live to 100. Nationally in Italy, 3.5% of women who reach 70 make it to that age. Bolotana lies in the Margine area of central Sardinia, about 70 miles (110km) from the island's original blue zone.

Researchers analysed records of people born in Bolotana between 1900 and 1925 and found that 38 had lived beyond 100, a longevity rate 57% higher than the Italian national average. The study began in 2024, and as of last year Bolotana had 12 centenarians among a population of 2,266, roughly 12 times the Sardinian average. Six of them have since died, and the six who remain are all women, the two eldest aged 102. More residents are expected to reach 100 by the end of this year and during 2027.

Sardinia became known as a haven for longevity, particularly for men, in 1999, when a cluster of remote villages in its central and eastern provinces was classified among the world's five blue zones, geographic areas with high concentrations of centenarians. The others are Okinawa in Japan, the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece and Loma Linda in California. The new findings indicate that Sardinia's zone is expanding.

“The important thing is that, for the first time in more than 25 years, we have found a place for longevity outside of the conventional blue zone,” Giovanni Mario Pes, the study's lead scientist and a co-creator of the blue zone concept, told the Guardian. “But while Bolotana shares the same characteristics, it is even more exceptional. Whereas the original zone had an unusual balance between the two sexes, here female longevity prevails.”

Pes said it was already well established that women live longer for biological reasons, but that “the extraordinary thing is that the longevity of the women in Bolotana is three times higher than that of most western women”. He declined to speculate on the reasons for the village's longevity, saying the study was “limited to pointing out the existence of the phenomenon”. After spending time with the centenarian women there, he said what struck him most were the “very intense and very real social relations” they 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,” he said. “There was absolutely no sign of cognitive decline.”

Francesco Manconi, the mayor of Bolotana, told Corriere della Sera that the explanation was probably “a mix of things”, citing a clean, fresh diet, although he said nobody gave up seada, a traditional local pastry filled with cheese, or mustazzolus, a spiced biscuit often eaten at breakfast. He added that the “uncontaminated nature” surrounding the village could play a role, along with physical activity, even though Bolotana has no gym. “Elderly people have always walked a lot … as much as 20km a day. And I would say they were mostly women.”

Official statistics as of November 2025 showed 23,548 residents of Italy aged 100 or over, up 2,000 from the previous year. Among those who reached 100 last year, 82.6% were women. Women also take the lead among Italy's 724 semi-supercentenarians, those aged 105 and over, and among its 19 supercentenarians, those in the 110-plus age bracket.