A small mountain village in central Sardinia has emerged as a new focal point in global studies of longevity, particularly among women. Bolotana, located about 70 miles from the island’s original blue zone known for long-lived men, has demonstrated a remarkable concentration of female centenarians, according to recent research.

A collaborative study by the University of Sassari in Italy and the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, highlights that 13.8% of women in Bolotana who reach the age of 70 will live to 100. This figure places Bolotana second worldwide for female longevity, just behind Hong Kong, and significantly above the Italian national average, where approximately 3.5% of women who reach age 70 become centenarians.

The researchers focused on individuals born in Bolotana between 1900 and 1925 and identified 38 who lived past 100 years old, indicating a longevity rate 57% higher than Italy’s average. Initiated in 2024, the study found that as of last year, Bolotana’s population of 2,266 included 12 centenarians—around 12 times the average for Sardinia. Since then, six of those centenarians have died, leaving six surviving women, the oldest two aged 102. Officials expect additional residents to reach the milestone by the end of 2026 and into 2027.

This new cluster expands Sardinia’s reputation as a blue zone, a term denoting regions with notably high numbers of centenarians. Other recognized blue zones include Okinawa in Japan, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, and Loma Linda in California. Giovanni Mario Pes, lead scientist of the study and co-creator of the blue zone concept, noted that Bolotana’s female longevity surpasses even these well-studied areas. Unlike the original Sardinian blue zone, where longevity was more evenly shared between men and women, Bolotana exhibits a pronounced female predominance.

While Pes declined to speculate on the specific causes behind Bolotana’s longevity, citing the study’s focus on documenting the phenomenon rather than explaining it, he observed a striking aspect of the community’s social fabric. He highlighted the strong, enduring social relationships maintained by the village’s elderly women, exemplified by centenarians like Giovanna Marras, 101, who lives with her sister and shows no signs of cognitive decline.

Local officials have suggested several possible contributing factors. Francesco Manconi, mayor of Bolotana, pointed to a combination of a clean, fresh diet and the area’s pristine natural environment. Despite no formal exercise facilities, the active lifestyle of residents, particularly women who reportedly walk up to 20 kilometers daily, is believed to play a role. Traditional local foods such as seada, a cheese-filled pastry, and mustazzolus, a spiced biscuit, remain popular.

Nationwide figures underscore the predominance of female longevity in Italy. As of November 2025, the country had 23,548 residents aged 100 or older, an increase of 2,000 from the previous year, with women accounting for 82.6% of centenarians. Women also outnumber men among Italy’s 724 semi-supercentenarians—those aged 105 and above—as well as the 19 supercentenarians aged 110 and older. Bolotana’s emerging profile adds fresh insight into the ongoing study of exceptional human longevity.