Bolotana, Sardinia, is identified as a potential new centenarian ‘blue zone’. A study from professors at Sardinia’s University of Sassari and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the US confirmed that 13.8% of women in Bolotana reaching age 70 are expected to reach 100.
Sardinia itself was previously designated as one of the world’s five “blue zones” in 1999. In Italy generally, only 3.5% of women who reach age 70 are projected to achieve centenarian status.
Records examined in Bolotana spanning from 1900 to 1925 documented 38 individuals who lived past the age of 100. As of last year, the count stood at 12 centenarians within Bolotana, which has a total population of 2,266.
The two oldest centenarians residing in Bolotana are currently 102 years old. Giovanni Mario Pes stated that female longevity in Bolotana is three times higher than that observed in most western women.
Pes further commented that the longevity of women in Bolotana is exceptional. Francesco Manconi noted that the local diet incorporates a clean, fresh diet, seada, and mustazzolus.
Daily activity levels among the elderly population in Bolotana include walking distances up to 20 kilometres. Regarding the broader Italian context, there were 23,548 residents aged 100 or over in Italy as of November 2025.
Of the centenarians recorded in Italy last year, 82.6% were women.
