Secret to Longevity

Every evening, as the sun dissolves over the Adriatic or behind Florence's terracotta rooftops, Italy comes alive with a spirit of togetherness. Friends meet after work for an espresso, a glass of wine, or an aperitivo. Cafés ring with laughter. Outdoor terraces buzz with conversations. Streets become informal meeting places. There is no rush to go home to solitude or screens

- ABHIK ROY The writer is professor emeritus at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

For the past three years in a row ~ 2023, 2024, and now 2025 ~ my travels across Italy, from the sun-washed lanes of Puglia to the Renaissance splendor of Florence and even the hurried streets of Rome, have taught me a lesson far deeper than art, architecture, or cuisine. I have slowly discovered the Italian secret to living longer, healthier, and happier lives despite their seemingly indulgent habits: daily pasta, generous servings of bread, gelato under warm skies, and wine at lunch and dinner.

At first glance, the equation does not add up. How can a culture devoted to carbohydrates, sweets, and leisurely living consistently rank among the healthiest in the world?

The answer lies in three timeless pillars: eating well, staying active, and nurturing human connection.

These are held together by a distinct philosophy of life~ dolce vita and the deeper dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing ~ which reshapes how time should be lived rather than spent.

Eating well is the Mediterranean secret:

Even though pasta and pizza dominate the global imagination, Italian eating habits are far more balanced than outsiders assume. Meals are rooted in freshness, seasonality, and moderation.

Even the humblest trattoria serves vegetables that taste as though they were harvested at dawn ~ tomatoes bursting with sweetness, zucchini firm and fragrant, basil as aromatic as perfume. All of this is cooked in high-quality extra virgin olive oil, the quiet heart-protective hero of the Mediterranean diet.

Wine accompanies meals but rarely in excess. Italians savor a glass, not a bottle. And although they enjoy sweets, desserts appear in modest portions ~ a small slice of cake, a single scoop of gelato, sometimes just a biscotto dipped into espresso.