Sardinia, Italy - Blue Zones (2024)

FAQs

Is Sardinia still a Blue Zone? ›

Sardinia, Italy is one of the world's five “Blue Zones” — or places around the world where an unusually large number of people live to 100 or longer. For these vibrant Sardinian senior citizens, what they eat plays an important role in longevity.

The classic Sardinian diet consists of whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil. Sardinians also traditionally eat pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, whose cheese is high in omega-3 fatty acids.

If you've ever dreamed of living la dolce vita — the sweet life — in Italy, now's your chance to get paid for it... sort of. The government of Sardinia, Italy, is prepared to pay people €15,000 each (about $14,767) to move to the Mediterranean island.

Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean, says it'll pay people up to €15,000 (or around $14,400) to move there. To fund the program, the region's government has set aside €45 million for 3,000 new arrivals.

The classic Sardinian diet consists of whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil. Sardinians also traditionally eat pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, whose cheese is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Meat is largely reserved for Sundays and special occasions.

With an increasing number of Sardinian villages facing a depopulation crisis, the regional government has introduced a scheme to lure new residents. Applicants who move to a settlement with under 3,000 inhabitants will receive a payment of up to €15,000 ($16,000). The money must be used to buy or renovate a property.

Sardinians start their mornings with a nutritious and hearty meal that consists of simple yet wholesome foods. A typical Sardinian breakfast often includes whole-grain bread, sheep's milk or goat's milk cheese, and a strong cup of espresso.

Stoccareddo is a village in the comune of Gallio, Province of Vicenza, Italy. It is known for its 400 villagers (380 of them with the surname Baù) with great health who tend to be able to consume fatty foods without the consequences of strokes and heart attacks.

Clearly, the inflow and outflow of migrants is influenced by diverse factors: intellectual unemployment afflicts young Sardinian graduates who are often forced to emigrate to find work, though unskilled workers also continue to do so.

Sardinia can be expensive: The cost of living in Sardinia is generally higher than in other parts of Italy. Housing costs: Rent and property prices in popular areas such as Costa Smeralda can be quite high.

Is Sardinia expensive to buy property? ›

Average cost of buying a house in Sardinia

Buying a large house in a small village costs about 25.000€, while in larger cities like Cagliari, prices range from 250,000 to anywhere close to 500,000€.

If you're asking yourself if Sardinia is a safe place to live, do not worry: it is considered among the safest regions in Italy.

Prices are generally higher than Sicily but this is a place where everything is good quality — even the beachside tourist traps in Alghero do excellent food.

Sardinia belongs to Italy because the Absburg sold it to the Savoy dinasty that later became kings of Italy. Corsica belongs to France because Genoa, after a revolt of the Corsicans, was obbliged to sell the tumultuous isle to the king of France.

Sardinia, particularly the mountainous region of Barbagia in the southeast, became one of the first identified Blue Zones due to its unusually high number of centenarians – people who live past the age of 100.

While it's known for its rugged coastline and welcoming hospitality, one of the most intriguing facts is that the islands, particularly the areas of Ogliastra, Barbagia di Ollolai and Barbagia of Seulo, are designated a 'Blue Zone'—a region of the world where people live much longer than average.

For over 20 years, Buettner has been studying these five communities – Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California. He claims that in these regions, “longevity ensues” because long-lived people are “simply a product of their environment.”

The main advantage of living in Sardinia (and the same roughly applies to Corsica) is the quality of life that you can enjoy. Weather is very pleasant, with dry, not overly hot summers and very mild winters (unless you live on the mountains). The Mediterranean sea is never far.