It's a typical morning in Campodimele, Italy, and a ninety-three-year-old woman is kneading her daily bread, while her ninety-six-year-old neighbor pedals by on his bicycle … In this sun-drenched village in the Aurunci Mountains, the residents enjoy astonishing longevity, such that scientists from the World Health Organization have dubbed it the "village of eternity." Not only are the people of Campodimele living longer-the male life expectancy is 26 percent higher than the U.S. average-but they also have substantially lower blood pressure than their countrymen, and the cholesterol levels of newborn babies.

So, what's their secret? In A Year in the Village of Eternity, Tracey Lawson chronicles twelve months of life in Campodimele, highlighting the villagers' cooking and eating habits, which many believe are key to their long, healthy lives. Their meals are simple and wholesome, dependent on high-quality meats and cheeses, local olives, homemade pastas, and hearty legumes. Lawson provides a year's worth of recipes for cooks at home, accompanied by sumptuous illustrations and peppered with sensible health advice and transporting tales of a place unlike any other.