Data collected by Italy’s Osservatorio nazionale sulla salute nelle Regioni italiane (National Health Observatory in the Italian Regions) in 2016 suggests that the Italian region with the highest average life expectancy is Marche (83.36) followed by Umbria (83.31), Veneto (83.30), Tuscany (83.29), Lombardy (83.24) and Emilia-Romagna (83.18).
In the same year, the provinces with the highest life expectancy were Florence, Rimini, Monza and Treviso (all with 84), followed by Trento, Pesaro-Urbino, Pordenone, Vicenza, Ancona, Milan, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna, Perugia, Prato and Bologna.
Currently, the Italian cities with the highest life expectancies are Macerata (Marche), Ancona (Marche), Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna), Siena (Tuscany) and Treviso (Veneto).
In Macerata, “the city of healthy food”, women have the highest average life expectancy (82.60), while it’s much lower for men (76.80).
Macerata is among the top two cities with the highest life expectancy in Italy.
Authorities in the central region of Marche cite nutritious and authentic local products as the secret to locals’ longevity.
In short, eating healthy products and drinking home-made wine not only tastes better but is more beneficial for our bodies.
Meanwhile in Ravenna, which has an average life expectancy of 83 years, the secret to a long life is in its inhabitants’ DNA, according to health experts.
As for Ancona, is seems that local products are to thank for its inhabitants’ long lives (local women have an average life expectancy of around 83 years, while it’s around 77 for males).
Siena, a city synonymous with a long Tuscan life, holds the record for women, where the average life expectancy is around 86 years (while it’s around 80 for men).
An elderly couple strolling through the streets of Siena. (Photo: Unsplash/Jan Stone)
In addition, more than 15 per cent of the Tuscan population is over 75 years old.
Authorities in Tuscany also claim that healthy eating and a rise in the conscious consumption of local products have certainly helped improve people’s health, subsequently increasing the average life expectancy.
Lastly, the northern Italian city of Treviso boasts one of the highest life expectancies in the Belpaese, and is home to the so-called “centenary sisters”.
The two sisters made local headlines several years ago when one sister died at 113 years and 62 days, while the other sister, who is still alive, celebrated her 100th birthday.
A group of Swiss scientists studied the sisters’ DNA to try to find the secret to their longevity.
Many experts believe that a long life can be the result of not only a healthy lifestyle, but also genetics.
Some claim that a high concentration of older people in a particular area and from the same families is proof of this theory.
In the Cilento area, south of the Amalfi Coast, there are more than twice as many centenarians than anywhere else in Italy; over 100 were recorded in 2017 alone.
When it comes to small villages, Acciaroli, located within the Cilento area, has one of the highest numbers of centenarians in the world.
Women in the village have an average life expectancy of 92 years (compared to the national average of 84), while for men it’s 85 years (compared to a national average of 79).
An elderly man sitting in a square in Acciaroli. (Photo: ANSA)
Aside from living long lives, locals in the village also have low rates of cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s.
According to researchers, this is due to physical activity rates and the Mediterranean diet, with the strong use of a local variety of rosemary that often features in dishes.
In a study conducted by Boston geriatrician Thomas Perle, most of the centenarians in Cilento were found to have a variant of the FoXo3 gene – which is commonly annotated as a human longevity gene – in their DNA.
Perle also reported a lower incidence of diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and Parkinson’s among his subjects.
Similarly, the delightful town of Limone Sul Garda, in the province of Brescia, in northern Italy, boasts a gene that contains the “elixir of life”.
In the mid-1970s, Milanese pharmacologist Cesare Sirtori discovered that Limonese people possess a mutated form of apolipoprotein called “Apo A-1 Milano”, which is capable of reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases.
Until the 1930s, when the Gardesana road was built, the town was practically isolated and it seems that this segregation led to the mutaed form of apolipoprotein.
Another factor to consider is the peculiar characteristic that many locals have an Rh negative blood type, which is generally very rare but is found at twice the average Italian rate in Limone sul Garda.
But a long life doesn’t just come down to genetic fortune.
The lifestyle of the inhabitants of Limone sul Garda is aligned with that of the spas, wellness centres and charming B&Bs typical of the area.
In summary, genetics, good food, a healthy lifestyle and clean air seem to be the key ingredients to a long life.
