Celebrating its commitment to wellness, a small town in Italy was recognized this month for its residents’ longevity and improved living conditions.
The town of Arzachena, which sits on the island of Sardinia, was studied for its “agro-pastoral” economy and “frugal diet,” the Consorzio Costa Smeralda, a property management and development company, shared with Travel + Leisure. It joins a cluster of other areas on Sardinia that have been recognized for a connection between their traditional lifestyles and long-living residents, like Ogliastra.
To recognize its longevity status, Arzachena was awarded a Blue Zone certification during the Consorzio Costa Smeralda’s annual Longevity Fest earlier this month.
“Our working hypothesis is that, until the 1960s, the population of Arzachena was very similar to that of Ogliastra,” Pietro Mereu, the founder and artistic director of the Longevity Fest, said in a statement shared with T+L. “Both populations shared the socio-economic profile of many small Sardinian towns … However, with the emergence of an economy dominated by high-end tourism and related services, yielding per capita income levels well above the Sardinian average, employment opportunities for residents expanded significantly … Consequently, today’s population combines elements of small-community social cohesion with cosmopolitan exposure.”
Mereu added this likely “led to the emergence of exceptional longevity in a context marked by economic modernization, migration, and global connectivity.”
Arzachena is located in northeastern Sardinia, known for its vineyard-covered hills and easy access to stunning beaches, according to the Sardegna Turismo. The town boasts architecturally-adorable features like small squares and pink granite and white stone facades, along with local boutiques and artisan products.
Arzachena is now “a symbol of luxury, high society and elite tourism in Sardinia,” according to the tourism board.
“Research in Arzachena does not stop here,” Gianni Pes, a senior researcher in the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine at the University of Sassari, said in the statement shared with T+L. “The data we’ve gathered are just the beginning. We’re already preparing the first scientific publications to share these insights with the international community and expand the horizons of longevity research.”
Beyond Italy, there are several cities in the U.S. known for their residents’ longevity headed up by Washington D.C. The capital excelled in metrics like “social capital,” “wellness,” and having high levels of “physical activity and lower-than-average smoking and excessive drinking rates.” That was followed by the San Francisco Bay area; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Boston; and Seattle.
