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VOGUE PARTNERSHIPGETTY IMAGES; ALAMYits neighbouring provinces? Are itsinhabitants rather more virtuous? Dothey refrain from drinking andsmoking? Not according to a numberof reports, which suggest that the localshere live life to the full (vices included)- they just live it for much longer thanthe rest of us. The questions are whyand how?Firstly it probably doesn’t hurtthat locals wake up in an areaof great, untouched naturalbeauty – breathing in the freshand unpolluted Mediterranean seaair. Its more prominent neighbours –the Amalfi Coast is a short drive away,and Naples just 80 miles to the north- have saved Acciaroli from becomingthe tourist hotspot that you could imagine it being. (With its delicious local delicacies, pristine beaches and beautiful countryside – not to mention the local zest for life – the attractions of Acciaroli are endless.) Yet it remains relatively undiscovered, allowing locals to make the most of the coast and the mountains, spending a lot of time walking and savouring the great outdoors. Time passes slowly with many locals still engaging in such time- honoured traditions as herding goats, making their own cheese and gathering olives. The Mediterranean diet is indeed famous for its health benefits. It is abundant in freshly grown, local produce – from fruits and vegetables, to whole grains and olive oil – and rich in fish (caught in the azure waters of the Mediterranean, of course) andhome-reared poultry, with wine aregular, though moderately consumedfixture. Red meat and white starchyfoods (think white rice, pasta andbread) are very rare and sugar is keptto a minimum with a plate of fresh fruitserving as dessert. Interestingly, another particularlyfragrant piece of the puzzle seems tobe rosemary. Herbs are generallyconsidered a flavourful part of theMediterranean diet, but this locallygrown aromatic herb covers Acciaroli’ssurrounding hillsides, and is morepungent here than in other parts of thecountry. It is a particularly popular dailystaple in the local cuisine – residentsadd it to almost everything, as well asactually chewing it raw. So while wemight not all be able to open ourwindows to the shimmering waters ofthe Med each morning, David isconvinced that adding a little rosemaryto our meals is definitely somethingwe can and should control.Acciaroli may be most well knownfor its several-part answer to the age-old question of how to live a long andhealthy life, but the pretty Campanian``````village has attracted more than justscientific study and media reportstrying to tap into its secrets. Legendstell that it was a visit here in the early1950s that inspired Ernest Hemingwayto pen his late masterpiece, The OldMan and the Sea. Some go as far as tosuggest that the novelist based thecentral character of Santiago on a localfisherman, with whom he went out tosea frequently during his stay. It seemsthat Acciaroli really is destined to belegendary – whether in science, mediaor literature.Its age-defying secrets may still bebeing pursued but, in a place sopicturesque, it isn’t hard to see thebenefits of living life to the full for thatlittle bit longer here. Q``````Herbs are generallyconsidered aflavourful part of theMediterranean diet andin this region rosemaryis a clear favourite``````BENEFITS OFROSEMARYIt has long been believed thatthe aromatic herb – native tothe Mediterranean – is acognitive stimulant, and canimprove memory andconcentrationIts age-defying benefits havebeen written about – Banckes’Herbal, published circa 1525,advised: “make thee a box ofthe wood (rosemary) andsmell to it and it shallpreserve thy youthe”In Hamlet, Ophelia refers tothe herb and its effects onmemory, saying: “There’srosemary, that’s forremembrance”It was regarded as a sacredherb in ancient Greece,with students wearinggarlands around their necksor braiding it into their hairto aid clear thinking