A year in the village of eternity - Tracey Lawson

The village of Campodimele in the Aurunci Mountains has been called'the village of eternal youth' by the scientific community,after a study revealed the astonishing longevity of its inhabitants.The average life expectancy of the Campomelani is 95, compared to theEuropean average of 75 for men and 82 for women.

Notonly do the villagers live to an extraordinary age, but 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 decided that the only way to find out was to spend some time living in the village herself.

This bookchronicles twelve months in the life of Campodimele, focusing on theseasonal cooking and eating habits that doctors believe are the key tothe villagers' long lives. There are insights from such colourful characters as Gerardo, who still zips down to the wheat fields on his aged scooter, and Maria, who is often seen chasing hens up the hill on her 83-year-old legs - aswell as a year's worth of timeless, simple recipes that will seduce even thebusiest urbanite.

With full-colour plate sections to show off the wealth of gorgeous photography, A Year in the Village of Eternityis at once a Mediterranean cookbook, a sensibleand inspiring food manual and a stunning, unique travel book - awinning cross between Under the Tuscan Sun and Jamie's Italy with a dash of You Are What You Eat.