Italy's increasingly elderly is seeing a rise in the number of centenarians, who at the beginning of this year numbered 22,552 (38 per 100,000 inhabitants, with peaks such as Liguria's 61), a 30% increase over a decade ago. Many of them, in their teens or twenties during World War II, are still active: about 30% are self-sufficient. This phenomenon goes beyond just health care, as President of Italia Longeva Roberto Bernabei points out, highlighting that there are also almost a million people over the age of 90. According to writer Lidia Ravera, in order to value advanced age, prejudices must be overcome: the "baby boomers", who rewrote the rules in the 1970s, can now represent a political force pushing for a welfare adapted to longevity. Niccolò Marchionni, President of the Italian Society of Geriatric Cardiology, stresses the importance of a healthy lifestyle to age well. In the "blue zones" of the world, areas with high life expectancy such as Sardinia, Japan and Costa Rica, three elements prevail: a sober diet, community living and moderate but constant physical activity. This shows that, even beyond genetics, longevity is often a matter of everyday choices.