It sounds like a fairy tale. Once upon a time, there was a small town of less than 3,000 residents in the province of Salerno in Campania, populated by a majority of inhabitants with at least 90 years under their belt, and where zero coronavirus infections have been reported.
The residents of this little village are people who have spent most of their lives on fishing boats or farming tomatoes and olive trees – retirees who now enjoy their old age overlooking the sea in the coastal settlements of Acciaroli and Pioppi, or in the hilltop village of Cilento – known as the “capital” of the Mediterranean diet.
In fact, Pollica is one of the pearls of the Mediterranean – universally recognized as a place of good living, thanks in part to UNESCO’s recognition of the village as the home of the Mediterranean Diet.
(ph via Pollica FB)
The town of Pollica – located in the heart of the National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni – extends along the western slopes of the Monte Stella massif, diving into a crystal clear sea.
Pollica is an area that would seem to be at maximum risk due to its higher-than-average age of the population, but the village is practically coronavirus-free for all intents and purposes. And it might just be the Mediterranean Diet that’s helping them stave it off!
Port of Acciaroli, National Park of Cilento. Salerno. Southern Italy
As we know, a healthy and balanced diet already contributes to the longevity so common to this area. In fact, the town’s mayor Stefano Pisani commented on the phenomenon to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: "I asked some scientists about the Mediterranean diet and if there might be a connection. It has not been excluded at all. On the contrary.”
However, It is still too early for some experts to draw scientifically reliable conclusions. But all the signs are good! Apart from the Mediterranean Diet, other factors may have contributed as well – such as the quiet of the off-season, since the young people who live and work elsewhere haven’t traveled and tourists have not yet arrived. In short – just like the fairy tales, there is a happy ending: This centenarian village has resisted the coronavirus and the Italian Mediterranean Diet has come to their aid!