Experience an Authentic Blue Zone Adventure in Sardinia!

Granted, there are many ways to visit Italy but experiencing the real authentic Italy can be rare. If boarding a bus at dawn each day, seeing tourist attractions and returning home exhausted is not what you are looking for, then this Italy travel itinerary is for you.   

In other words, you may want to experience the “real” Italy and to live its lifestyle on a fully guided tour with me – an Italian speaking citizen of Italy at a pace that’s naturally relaxing.

Plus, group size is small for this trip – only 14 people adding to this unique experience!

A Travel and Blue Zone Adventure in Sardinia

September 19 - September 27, 2024

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Departure Day

  • September 17, 2024

    Depart for Cagliari, Sardinia – either from Chicago O’Hare or other airport depending on your location in the U.S.

  • September 18, 2024

    Arrive in Cagliari, capital city of Sardinia, transfer to the hotel by private bus.

    Cagliari is the Sardinian jewel of a city, overlooking the sea that enchants with its architecture and embodies the charm of a thousand-year history.

    Dinner, meet and greet, perhaps explore Cagliari a bit and overnight at the hotel.

  • September 19, 2024

    Meet Dr. Ivo Parisi PhD who will lead you through this tour in Sardinia. Dr Ivo Pirisi holds a PHD degree in biology and a specialization in nutrition.

    In the early stages of his career, he worked as a researcher at the University of Cagliari (Sardinia – Italy) where he studied the metabolism of fats.

    Dr. Pirisi is the owner of the hotel and cultural workshop, Casa Mediterranea, where he teaches the traditions of the longest living population in the Blue Zone.

    After our brief introduction to Dr. Pirisi, we will transfer in private bus to the San Benedetto food market in Cagliari. The market is the largest covered food market in Italy, located in the central district of San Benedetto and is an ideal place to buy fresh fish, cheese, sweet treats, fresh pasta, fruit, and vegetables.

    Enjoy a guided tour to learn about the local produce, enjoy some tastings and have fun food shopping for a picnic lunch later in the day.

    Continue on to Su Nuraxi nuraghe, a once thriving village dating back to 1800 BC.

    We will take an archaeological guided tour with focus on the agro-pastoral system of the Nuragic cultivation of grains, legumes and bread making.

    Following our tour, we will transfer to Casa Mediterranea hotel in Nurachi.

    Dinner and overnight in Casa Mediterranea. (meals included BLD)

  • September 20, 2024

    Visit to the Sinis Peninsula, a unique natural setting often referred to as an unspoiled paradise and recognized by the European Commission as an Eden destination of excellence. This area of rare beauty is rich with vegetation and many terrestrial and marine animal species.

    Transfer to the ruins of the Phoenician town of Tharros, (8th Century BC). Once a strategic port of commercial importance, the city still shows signs of a glorious past with remains of Roman Villas, ancient streets, and thermal baths.

    Here you will learn about the influences affecting Sardinian culture over the centuries.

    Continue to walk to the dynamic hike to San Marco’s promontory with its two-thousand-years long history, considered one of Sardinia’s most important archaeological sites.

    It is often called an “open-air museum” because of the abundance of well-preserved ruins and relics, and thanks to its location, right next to the beautiful west Sardinian beaches.

    Enjoy a light packed lunch.

    Return to Casa Mediterranea and relax.

    Evening cooking workshop and dinner.

    Overnight at Casa Mediterranea (meals included BLD)

  • September 21, 2024

    Following breakfast, we will walk to meet one of the only two remaining masters professionally producing unfired red bricks used in many Mediterranean countries. The unfired red brick oven was and is still used for cooking, baking bread and roasting. You will learn how to make these bricks and the ancient and modern use of this extraordinary cooking technique.

    Transfer to Cabras and visit the fascinating Monte’s Prama exhibition at the archeological museum. You will be captivated by the history and mystery, and the discovery of colossal ancient structures of warriors, boxers and archers dating back to 900 – 750 BC. These structures have only been found in Sardinia

    Enjoy a light lunch at Casa Meditereanea and relax.

    In the evening we’ll visit an ancient wine cellar made of unfired mudbricks that we just learned about, followed by Wine tasting and dinner. Overnight at Casa Mediterranea. (meals included BLD)

  • September 22, 2024

    Check out at Casa Mediterranea and transfer to a small village in inner Sardinia where you will learn more than you can imagine about healthy flour and bread making. Bread making here is a social movement, the strengthening of intra-community relationships through collaboration. You’ll learn about refined flours versus whole meal flours, baking with mother yeast kept alive for centuries by local families, glycemic index, the importance of fiber and metabolic diseases related to consumption of refined flours.

    You will experience bread making and baking with the locals and enjoy lunch with the locals.

    Afternoon transfer to Seulo a centenarian village of the Barbagia region (the Blue Zone of Sardinia.)

    Dinner and overnight in Seulo. (meals included BLD)

  • September 23, 2024

    We’ll spend a full day in Seulo exploring; centenarians, walking and shepherd ecosystem

    Learn the relationship between longevity and lifestyle of the shepherds. We will focus on the differences between the historical areas of Sardinia suited to agriculture (not Blue Zones) and the historical areas suited to shepherd lives (Blue Zones,) and explore the differences between an archaic society and today’s society.

    Take a morning walk to meet the shepherds and visit a traditional hut where you will attend a cheese making demonstration (depending on morning milk from the goats), learn about their lifestyle and daily routine.

    Enjoy a roasted lunch and a possible lecture by a local professor (TBC and subject to availability)

    Return to hotel. Dinner and overnight. (meals included BLD)

  • September 24, 2024

    Morning hike in the mountains of Seulo focusing on the benefits of physical activity in territories with steep terrain and cooler weather.

    Enjoy a packed lunch.

    Transfer to Cagliari, check in at the hotel, enjoy leisure time and a farewell pizza dinner and perhaps a little exploring of Cagliari, Sardinia’s capital city. (meals included BLD)

  • September 25, 2024

    Breakfast at the hotel followed by transportation back to the airport where we say our goodbyes to this rare and unique opportunity of being immersed in history, traditions, and the lifestyle of longevity.

Booking Details

Here’s how to reserve your place for this amazing experience! 

Land package details for 8 days, 7 nights is as follows:

This land package includes the fully guided tour by Dr. Ivo Parisi Blue Zone scientist, private motorcoach, airport transfers, hotel accommodations at Casa Mediterranea and local hotels,  breakfast, lunch and dinners each day, archeological guided tours, cooking workshop and dinner, archeological museum, bread making demonstration and cooking with the locals, cheese making demonstration (if fresh goatmilk is available,) visit to a centenarian village, visits with the shepherds, possible lecture with a local professor (subject to availability,) hike in the mountains and more.

Eight days, seven nights unraveling the secrets of longevity!

Cost of the Longevity Adventure – $4150.00

The trip is limited to 14 people – Double occupancy only, due to smaller hotels with limited rooms.

Payment can be made using a transfer with Zelle, or by check. Due to the very reasonable cost of the trip, I cannot accept credit card payments unless the credit card fee (3.5%) is added to the invoice.

Airfare is separate. I always find the best pricing for coach or premium economy to suggest and send it early for best pricing. The group usually travels together from Chicago O’Hare airport but it’s not mandatory. Lufthansa (partner with United) airlines has been the carrier of choice for service and on time flights. 

Experiencing Italy requires walking.

With that being said, Italians walk, and we will be walking a lot.  Streets in Sardinia are not smooth and paved, escalators do not exist. We will take walks in the forest and many natural areas. If you are not a fan of walking this likely is not the trip for you.

This excursion and discovery of the lifestyle of longevity is a unique and rare opportunity to immerse yourself in a transformational experience where you will leave with new perspectives on living a long and purposeful life.

 

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