The Sicilian Secret to Ageing Well

High in Sicily’s Sicani Mountains, where olive trees twist with age and the clear air affords panoramas over Monte Pellegrino, is the little-known town of Caltabellotta. Perched on the hillside like a sentinel, its stone houses and church façades overlook valleys of almond trees and wild fennel. Here, long life is not planned or pursued - it’s simply a natural outcome of living in tune with the land and seasons. 

It’s within this landscape that scientists have recently found something extraordinary. After years of research, Professor Gianni Pes and Professor Calogero Caruso have identified Caltabellotta as an emerging Blue Zone - one of the world’s rare regions where people live significantly longer, healthier lives. 

The findings point to more than genetics. It’s the harmony between tradition and lifestyle embraced by its residents.  The daily rituals - walking, cooking, tending to the land. Long lunches shared across generations, fostering meaningful connections. A diet that draws from nearby fields and orchards - slow food, never fast or processed.

For Irene Forte, it affirms something deeply personal. “I’ve been visiting this town for over a decade,” she says. “I love it so much that I chose to get married here, and I’m proud to be an honorary citizen. To now see it recognised through such rigorous science is deeply moving. It confirms what we’ve always felt in our bones - this place has something special and is one of the reasons why Irene Forte Skincare is deeply rooted in Sicily.”

As the founder of Irene Forte Skincare and Wellness Consultant at Rocco Forte Hotels, Irene has long drawn inspiration from the land and culture surrounding Verdura Resort, just half an hour from Caltabellotta, where her ties to Sicily began. Her award-winning skincare line, often described as a Mediterranean diet for the skin, is rooted in ingredients grown organically on site. 

That philosophy now informs the resort’s new Longevity Programme, a six- or ten-day wellness immersion built around the rare rhythms and lifestyle practices of a landscape now recognised for its role in healthy ageing.  The programme blends advanced diagnostics, including blood panels, food sensitivity testing, and 3D skin analysis, with restorative spa treatments, movement in nature, and seasonal Mediterranean cuisine.

Guests begin with a personal wellness consultation with medical and nutritional experts, then follow a programme tailored to their needs - walking through the surrounding hills, floating in thalassotherapy pools, and rejuvenating with facials designed to support long-term skin health using Irene Forte Skincare. Each element is designed to realign your physical and emotional wellbeing, gently reintroducing the habits that support longevity, naturally.

Menus, crafted by Chef Fulvio Pierangelini and clinical nutritionist Giancarlo Giammarresi, reflect the simplicity and nourishment of the Mediterranean diet, using ingredients from the resort’s organic gardens, rich in fibre, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties. This connection to the land is brought into focus on a guided trek through the undulating Sicani Mountains, followed by a lunch of traditional, local dishes.

In Sicily’s southern hills, the foundations for a longer, more balanced life are already in place. Verdura Resort’s Longevity Programme simply brings them within reach.