My time in Sardinia would not have been what it was without a woman named Claudia. I met her unexpectedly, through a friend I had a conversation with at one of the local cafés in Baunei. How it worked in Sardinia, was the one connection quickly led to another. He pointed me in her direction and told me simply, “You should meet her. She knows the Blue Zones.” I didn’t realize at the time how important this connection and relationship would soon be.
I met Claudia at the hotel she owns in Sardinia. She has lived in Sardinia her entire life and works closely with Dr. Giovanni Mario Pes, studying the Blue Zones and conducting interviews with centenarians across the island’s mountain villages. When Claudia and I finally started talking, I was amazed by her life and her research. She shared stories, history, and insights, and it was clear that her wisdom was rooted in lived experience. She is the reason I was able to attend a village festival in Urzulei, a small mountain town tucked high above the coast. Through her guidance and expertise, I began to understand how food, land, and tradition are intertwined in Sardinia, coming together in a way that supports long and healthy lives. Some of the most fascinating parts were the importance of traditional foods, particularly the role of flour and mountain goats in daily life.
The flour here is not industrial or stripped and it is minimally processed, made using traditional machinery that still exists because people have chosen to keep it alive. Claudia introduced me to a man named Salvatore whose purpose is preserving these Sardinian food traditions. When I visited his shop that he set up during the festival, he walked me through the process and the equipment used to create the flour that becomes the bread, pasta, and meals shared by families across the region. The people that I came to the festival with also told me that they can feel the difference because they used to live in London, but now since they live in Sardinia they can feel that the food makes them feel good and not heavy.
After the festival, I was driven home through the dark, winding mountain roads, listening as Salvatore softly serenaded his baby daughter, Geneva. As we drove, I loved talking with them about Sardinia, hearing stories about their honeymoon and the cruise they once took to Miami, and listening to their thoughts and impressions of the United States. The road was quiet and there were barely any lights, but it was such a wholesome night as we spoke softly and listed to Salvatore sing. Later, Claudia picked me up and drove me back as we talked through everything I had experienced and it felt like i was living inside of a movie.
On my last full day in Sardinia, Claudia helped me with a few final errands before asking a simple question”Would you like to meet my mother?” Her mother had just turned 100 years old and the family had celebrated her birthday on September 7th. When I walked into their home, I was immediately engulfed by the smell of soup simmering on the stove. A large pot bubbled gently in the kitchen, fresh vegetables chopped and waiting nearby.I was instantly hungry and would have done anything to eat a bowl of the soup that was luring me into the kitchen. As we gathered, Claudia’s grandmother woke from a nap and joined us, and Claudia translated as we talked together.
They pulled out a photo album from the birthday celebration. Her grandmother was dressed in the most beautiful, intricate Sardinian dresses and veils. As I turned the pages, I felt as though I had been transported into the celebration itself, surrounded by music, family, and love. At one point, as Claudia took photos of us together, her grandmother loudly declared that she couldn’t smile because she was too hungry and needed to eat immediately. She called out to her daughter in the kitchen, who was chopping and stirring without pause. Her appetite was intense, and I laughed, grateful that I wasn’t the one in charge of the cooking. It was clearly no small task and the grandmother was a very tough critic, eagerly waiting for the food to be ready.
What captivated me most were the portraits lining the living room walls. Beautiful photographs and portraits of Claudia’s grandmother were everywhere, framed and honored. In Sardinia, the elderly are not hidden away and they are celebrated. I think that its so beautiful to see families valuing their parents and grandparents and not sending them away in nursing homes. They really value family, love, wisdom, age and everyone comes together as a family. We all laughed together and talked and I learned more in those hours than I ever could have expected. I think that its so important to learn and really listen to our elders because they have gathered wisdom and lived experienced that is soon to be gone. For example, I loved talking to people that were living during World War II because soon these people will be gone and to learn about these real life experiences while we can is invaluable. Can you imagine all the wisdom you would gain after surviving for 100 years?
As the evening came to an end and we said our goodbyes, I found myself quietly taking in everything I had just experienced. It was truly an honor to meet everyone I did on this journey. And in the end, I realized something important that this experience was never about uncovering a single “secret” to living a long life. It was about connection and the community that formed through openness, curiosity, and shared humanity.
