A Year in the Village of Eternity

The village of Campodimele in the Aurunci Mountains has been called'the village of eternity' by World Health Organisation scientists,after a study revealed the astonishing longevity of its inhabitants.The average life expectancy of Campodimelani men is 90, compared to theEuropean average of 74, while women live to an average age of 86compared to their European counterparts' 80.

Notonly do the villagers live to an extraordinary age, they also enjoyhealthy and active lives at an age when many people in the UK havesuccumbed to general infirmity or the three major plagues of Westernlife, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. How do they do it? TraceyLawson spent a year in the village to find out.

This bookchronicles twelve months in the life of Campodimele, focusing on theseasonal cooking and eating habits that doctors believe are the key tothe villagers' unusually long lives. It includes insights from everyonefrom cheerful Giovanni who has lunched on minestrone for 103 years and96-year-old Corradino who still enjoys daily rides on his pushbike, tothe relative bambino of a mayor (in his forties) and the 93-year-oldsignora who bakes her own rosemary and olive oil bread every day - aswell as a year's worth of simple, wholesome recipes that even thebusiest urbanite will be able to enjoy.

A Year in the Village of Eternityis at once a sumptuously illustrated Mediterranean cookbook, a sensibleand inspiring food manual and a stunning and unique travel book - awinning cross between Under the Tuscan Sun and Jamie's Italy with a dash of You Are What You Eat.