The Ogliastra
Nestled between Nuoro and Cagliari, the much smaller province of Ogliastra boasts some of the island’s most spectacular scenery. Inland, it has mountains with unspoilt valleys, silent woods and windswept rock faces, while the coastal stretches become increasingly dramatic the nearer you get to the Golfo di Orosei.
For many Sardinians, it is considered the most beautiful part of Sardinia; fascinating and primitive, historical and ancestral, a paradise for trekkers and with pristine beaches for sun worshippers. It is the land of centenarians.
For serious hikers, the Selvaggio Blu is the stuff of myth: an epic seven-day, 45km trek along the Golfo di Orosei’s wild and imperious coastline, traversing thickly wooded ravines and taking in bizarre limestone formations, caves and staggeringly sheer cliffs.
Both the scenery and the walking are breathtaking (in every sense of the word!) on what is often hailed as Italy’s toughest trek. A guide is recommended as the trail is not well signposted and there’s no water en route (guides can arrange for it to be dropped off by boat).
Here, everything has remained unchanged, pure and unspoiled. Time would appear to have stopped in Ogliastra including for its inhabitants. In fact, this area boasts several firsts in human longevity: a family of nine children all still alive with a combined age of 828 and for an entire country that has entered the Guinness Book of World Records 2014.
It is Villagrande Strisaili , the village with the highest percentage of centenarian men in the world. If you ask the inhabitants the secret of this longevity you will get different answers: the air, the outdoors, the food, the wine or… God. Several studies have confirmed that a genetic factor, healthy food, the absence of stress , the good air, the frequency of human contact , play an important factor, as well as wine Cannonau , which has a percentage of polyphenols, substances with high antioxidant content, crucial to the fight against cholesterol and atherosclerosis, between 5 and 10 times higher than the Australian, South African and American wines.
It is a land that is good for tourists who can discover nature and flavours long since forgotten elsewhere.
" The Ogliastra will lengthen your life " : It is how the province was presented to the International Tourism Exchange in Milan and, for once, is not just a slogan.
https://www.insidesardinia.com/en/insidecalamariolu.html