While much of the developed world spends billions trying to extend human life, a small village in Sardinia may have discovered something rather extraordinary.
And nobody appears to have patented it.
Bolotana, a mountain community of approximately 2,300 inhabitants, has attracted international scientific attention because of the remarkable longevity of its women.
According to research published in Frontiers in Aging, women in Bolotana who reach the age of 70 have an estimated 13.8% probability of reaching 100. The figure is more than three times the corresponding American estimate and places the village second only to Hong Kong among the international comparisons used by the researchers.
The Guardian’s Angela Giuffrida travelled to Bolotana to meet some of these remarkable residents.
Among them are Giovanna Marras, 101, and her sister Mariangela, 99. Both worked as seamstresses, ran a tailoring business, travelled after retirement and retained a striking degree of personal independence.
Neither married. Both continued to make their own decisions about how to live.
Other women in the village offer equally unconventional examples. Filomena Scarpa, a former language teacher who turned 100 in January, began studying German in her nineties and continues to exercise regularly.
Researchers are examining possible explanations, including genetics, diet, everyday physical activity and unusually strong social relationships.
The village’s steep streets encourage movement. Locally grown food remains part of daily life. Neighbours, relatives and friends maintain close connections, while older residents often continue living in their own homes.
One particularly interesting feature is the strength of relationships between women, which scientists hope to investigate further.
But the evidence requires caution.
Bolotana is a small population, and the researchers acknowledge statistical uncertainty. The longevity advantage also varies according to the period examined. The village is therefore a candidate for recognition as an exceptional longevity area, not an established new blue zone.
Nor has the research demonstrated that any single habit causes exceptional longevity.
Nevertheless, the findings challenge some familiar assumptions about ageing.
In many advanced societies, longer life increasingly creates debates about retirement costs, healthcare expenditure and dependency.
Bolotana offers a different perspective: older people who remain active, socially connected and personally autonomous.
There is no evidence that their way of life can simply be reproduced elsewhere. But the possibility that everyday environments and social relationships contribute to healthy ageing deserves serious attention.
Perhaps the most interesting question is not only how to extend human life, but how to build societies in which people can continue living it.
THE ITALIC TAKE
The world is spending billions trying to discover the secret of longevity. In Sardinia, a few women seem to have been too busy living to attend the conferences.
We Italians are exceptionally good at preserving traditions, although we sometimes forget to understand why they work.
Before turning Bolotana into another wellness brand, perhaps we should consider something simpler: independence, friendship and a reason to get up in the morning may be worth more than another expensive anti-ageing treatment.
ITALIC — Set in bold. From Italy without geography.