Brain Health Retreat: Sardinia’s Secrets for a Long and Healthy Life
Let's explore Italy’s Blue Zone, October 12 to 19, 2025
Hello, everyone. I am excited to share dates for this fall’s Brain Health Retreat from the heart of Italy’s Blue Zone—Sardinia. Let’s go to Sardinia!
BHK Retreats: Sardinia’s Secrets for a Long and Healthy Life
When: October 12 to 19, 2025
What: An 8-day educational vacation through Sardinia’s Blue Zones
Who: Annie Fenn (your host) + You (food-loving travelers who are curious about culture and passionate about longevity)
Why Sardinia?
Sardinia is an island off the coast of Italy famous for its Blue Zones—a cluster of villages in the mountains where healthy elders thrive. In fact, Sardinia was the very first part of the world where researchers discovered these pockets of longevity. During my last four trips to Sardinia, I have explored much of the island and gotten to know the Sarda people. I’ve walked the steep streets of the famous centenarian villages and have learned much about why people here live long, healthy, dementia-free lives.
Reserve your spot by booking online here or call 877-298-9677.
This fall, come with me to explore this magical place! In this 8-day educational vacation, we will explore this stunningly beautiful island of mountains and beaches set in the center of the Mediterranean Sea. First, we’ll start in Cagliari, its vibrant port city at the southernmost tip. From there, we’ll head into small villages in the interior, meeting with locals and Blue Zones experts along the way. We’ll even get to meet with centenarians and learn how to cook traditional foods from local cooks. Next, we’ll travel to the eastern coast, home to rugged coastline and quiet beaches. We’ll stay in the most luxurious hotels, all designed for a restorative vacation.
Throughout the week, we’ll be staying active with easy hiking, e-biking, and yoga on the beach. Nothing is too strenuous or extreme, and there will always be a more restful option each day.
Here are a few highlights of the trip:
Visit renowned Blue Zone villages and engage in conversations with centenarians to learn how community, daily walks, and hyper-local foods may be the secret to their longevity
Taste the best of traditional Sardinian cuisine, from fresh seafood and crispy flatbread to homemade stuffed pasta and honey straight from the beehive
Discover Sardinia’s diverse and rugged terrain on guided hikes through oak forests, ancient villages, and rocky coastal trails
Explore the countryside by e-bike, where an electronic motor offers a helpful boost over steep hills and allows you to take in the expansive views
Embrace the Italian practice of an afternoon riposo and learn how rest and relaxation is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle
For this trip, I am partnering with Academic Travel Abroad, a leader in experiential travel since 1950. They have curated tours for Smithsonian Institution, the New York Times, Yale University, and many others. Together, we hope to bring BHK Brain Health Retreats to other Blue Zones—Japan and Greece are definitely on our list!
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Sardinia
Arrive in Sardinia (Cagliari Elmas Airport - CAG) and transfer independently to your hotel. Gather with your fellow travelers for a welcome cocktail made with local fruit and vegetable juices, and kick off your week of healthy living with a fun quiz to discover how Mediterranean your diet is. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner at Libarium Nostrum. Accommodations: Hotel Regina Margherita
Day 2: Savory and Sweet: Market Tour, Cave Hike, and Apiary Visit
In the morning visit the San Benedetto Market on a guided tour and immerse yourself in the scents, sounds, and colors of Italy’s largest indoor food market. Depart Cagliari for Ulassai, a small village in the heart of Sardinia’s Blue Zone. The journey will take approximately 2 hours with a pause for a coffee break midway through the drive. After a lunch of traditional Sardinian fare at Ristorante Su Bulliciu, take a 1-hour guided hike to Su Marmuri Cave where a natural freshwater lake and stalagmites nearly 20 meters high create a breathtaking environment. Visit Apicoltura Cannas, a nearby apiary, for a taste of honey straight from the beehive. Afterwards, travel to Villagrande Strisaili, which holds the record for male longevity, and check into Hotel Orlando, a frequent host to the annual Conference on Longevity. Gather as a group for dinner in the hotel. Accommodations: Hotel Orlando
Day 3: Bread Baking with the Local Women of Villagrande
This morning, we will cook together. I will lead a class in the teaching kitchen at Hotel Orlando. We’ll be joined by the local women of Villagrande who will demonstrate traditional techniques for making minestrone and pane carasau, or Sardinian flatbread so thin and crispy it is sometimes called “sheet music” in reference to its parchment-like feel. Try your hand at rolling your own flatbread and watch as it rises and puffs in the stone oven during a surprisingly quick baking process. Taste your pane carasau and other local specialties during a group lunch at Hotel Orlando, then enjoy a classic Italian riposo, or extended midday break where you are free to lounge poolside or rest in your room. In the afternoon, take a guided hike to Perda ‘e Liana, a natural limestone formation that rises seemingly out of nowhere amidst an extensive karst plateau. This easy rated hike is approximately 2.5 miles on an out-and-back trail. Dinner tonight will be in a local restaurant. Accommodations: Hotel Orlando
For questions and to book your spot, call 877-298-9677 or email reservations@academic-travel.com.
Day 4: Get In The (Blue) Zone: Fresh Pasta and Purposeful Living
Explore the heart of Villagrande Strisaili with a local guide and meet a centenarian and their family to gain insight into the community and learn why this particular village is the center of Sardinia’s Blue Zone. Learn how to make the perfect culurgiones, or traditional Sardinian stuffed pasta during a cooking class, then enjoy the fruits of your labor during a communal lunch. Afterwards, travel to Urzulei, a Blue Zone village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, and stretch your legs on an easy 2.5 mile hike through an oak forest and past the ancient Nuragic village of Or Murales. Return to your hotel in Villagrande Strisaili before gathering as a group for dinner at Ristorante Santa Barbara. Accommodations: Hotel Orlando
Day 5: Natural Herbs and Outdoor Yoga
Wake up with a guided walk in Santa Barbara Natural Park, home to aromatic and medicinal plants like wild rosemary, gentian, and foxglove. Learn how to identify and collect important herbs, and discuss how they can be used in everyday life. Depart for the picturesque coastal town of Santa Maria Navarrese, and check into Lanthia Resort where you may choose to explore the grounds, grab a bite at the onsite Beach Bar & Grill, or take a quiet riposo in your room. Afterwards, gather for an outdoor yoga and meditation class. The instructor will suggest yoga flow sequences based on the experience and abilities of each participant. In the evening, dine together as a group at Ristorante Sa Cadrea. Accommodations: Lanthia Resort
Day 6: All About Olive Oil
Experience coastal Sardinia by e-bike on a half-day excursion. Departing from your hotel, you will first travel to the town of Lotzorai where you will learn all about olive oil during a visit to Olivina di Tangianu Stefania. Learn the history of olives at the foot of centuries-old olive trees, visit the oil mill where the extraction process takes place each fall, and enjoy a taste of freshly pressed olive oil. Continue to Girasole, then turn west and into the countryside for Agriturismo Nuraghe Murtarba. Pause for lunch at the farmhouse, then return to your hotel in Santa Maria Navarrese. This e-bike ride is approximately 30 km / 4 hours, and will travel on asphalt, dirt, and sand roads. Dinner and the rest of the evening will be at your leisure. Accommodations: Lanthia Resort
Day 7: Takeaways, Goal Setting, and Looking Towards the Future
This morning, early risers may choose to attend an optional guided hike along the Santa Maria Navarrese coastal trail. Check out of your hotel and depart for Jerzu Antichi Poderi, a small winery that uses the local Cannonau grape. Originating in Sardinia, the Cannonau varietal is a rich source of flavonoids for the Sarda people. Stroll through the vineyards, visit the cellars, and enjoy a light lunch and a tasting of three different wines. Continue to Cagliari and check in to your hotel, Hotel Regina Margherita. Gather for a farewell feast at Trattoria Lillicu, celebrating your week of cultivating the habits of a brain-healthy life. Accommodations: Hotel Regina Margherita
Day 8: Departures
Transfer independently to Cagliari Elmas Airport (CAG) for individual flights home.
Call 877.298.9677 or visit online by clicking HERE
I hope some of you will join me for this trip of a lifetime. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions, or click on the FAQ sheet below.
Love,
Annie
Hi Annie - Just wondering when you will be releasing your dates and locations for 2026 retreats to help me plan ahead? Or if you don't have exact dates yet, are there certain locations you usually go to in certain months to help with my planning? My good friend (who is also named Annie!) would love to join you from Australia. 😊
Oh my goodness this could not be a more perfect itinerary. Wow.