How we spend our time becomes a matter of science
Science, medicine, nutrition, sport and new technologies take centre stage in the debate on longevity. In Porto Cervo, international experts and researchers are discussing prevention, Blue Zones and healthy ageing. The 2026 Longevity Award goes to Steve McCurry
In Porto Cervo, for a weekend, time became a topic of conversation thanks to the Longevity Fest Costa Smeralda, where doctors, scientists, researchers, biotech entrepreneurs, Blue Zone scholars, and experts in nutrition and ageing gathered under the Longevity Pavilion to explore one of the great obsessions of our time: how to live longer, and above all, how to reach the years ahead with body, mind and curiosity still in good working order.
The Festival, conceived and directed by the filmmaker Pietro Mereu and now in its fifth year, is one of the events forming part of the Costa Smeralda Longevity Weeks, an initiative promoted by the Costa Smeralda Consortium in partnership with Smeralda Holding, running until 11 October. It is a programme that brings together medicine, sport, nutrition, holistic practices and culture, based on a very practical concept of longevity: life expectancy is also shaped by the habits we adopt throughout our lives. The weekend just gone had the feel of a workshop rather than a conference. Last Saturday, Francesco Balducci opened the Festival by presenting Medicine of Longevity. Strategies for Prolonged Youth and Healthy Longevity, taking the audience on a ‘Corsa del Selvaggio’ – a morning routine that put the theory into practice with a pair of running shoes.
In the afternoon, Maddalena Adorno, a scientist and biotech entrepreneur now at Altos Labs, spoke about the new frontiers of biological research applied to longevity. Giovanni Mario Pes, a doctor and researcher at the University of Sassari, and Alessandro Luciani, a senior scientist at the University of Zurich, explored the phenomenon of the Blue Zones through new field research. Sardinia became the subject of a broader discussion with Alessandro Melis, a professor at the New York Institute of Technology, who steered the conversation towards the relationship between the environment, health and urban models, whilst the sessions on Sardinia as a destination brought together research, tourism and the culture of longevity.
In short, the term has moved beyond doctors’ surgeries to become part of everyday life and even influences the way we imagine the places where we would like to grow old. On Sunday, the programme took the scientific debate a step further with Maddalena Adorno, Giovanni Scapagnini and Francesco Landi , who discussed what research today allows us to regard as established fact and what remains a subject of study; Antonio Nieddu and Pier Luigi Scapicchio addressed successful ageing from its clinical, cognitive and social perspectives, and finally Adorno and Filippo Nigro looked at emerging technologies for health prevention and monitoring.
The grand finale featured the Costa Smeralda 2026 Longevity Award which was presented to Steve McCurry, the great American photographer and one of the most recognisable visual storytellers of our time. Together with Pietro Mereu, he looked back over his career in A Life in Images, featuring photographs, travels and stories gathered from major international settings, and four previously unpublished photographs taken by McCurry in Porto Cervo were also presented. The events continue until 11 October in Porto Cervo with the Longevity Weeks. On 7 October, the programme focuses on the longevity economy, with a discussion on investments, wellbeing and economic transformations linked to increased life expectancy, whilst from 8 to 11 October, Porto Vecchio will host yoga, mindfulness, Ecstatic Dance, Sound Baths, art therapy and other practices dedicated to mental and physical wellbeing. 10 October will be dedicated to the relationship between longevity and food, with Slow Food Gallura showcasing sourdough bread, extra virgin olive oil, raw-milk cheeses and natural wines. Sport will take centre stage again that same weekend, with trail running, walks, fitness sessions and seaside activities. The programme will culminate on 11 October with the Porto Cervo Swim and the final sporting events of the Longevity Weeks. This, ultimately, is Porto Cervo’s challenge: to transform a buzzword into a series of actions, conversations and experiences that linger in the memory for a long time.
