What do Sardinians know that the rest of the world doesn’t?

There is a place in Italy where living to 100 is not remarkable… it’s simply what happens.

In the mountainous inland province of Ogliastra in Sardinia, researchers have found nearly ten times more centenarians per capita than in the United States. It was the first Blue Zone ever identified in the world, one of just five regions on earth where people consistently live well past 100, sharp, active, and deeply embedded in their communities. If you haven't watched Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix yet, Sardinia features prominently, and it will almost certainly make you want to see it for yourself.

What makes Ogliastra extraordinary is not one single secret but a way of life that has remained almost unchanged for generations. Shepherds walk eight to ten kilometres a day over hilly terrain. The diet is local, seasonal and plant-based — legumes, vegetables, hard wheat bread, pecorino, and Cannonau wine, which contains two to three times more antioxidants than most red wines. Family is everything, and elders are celebrated, not sidelined.

Uniquely among all Blue Zones, Sardinia is the only place where men live as long as women, a detail that has fascinated scientists for decades and points to something deeper than diet alone.