In a small town in the south of Italy, you will find several hundred healthy residents over the age of 100. The people of Acciaroli seem to have tapped into the secret to healthy aging, but researchers haven't quite figured out why.

'This is a quiet town where people are relaxed. They sit in cafes, they talk politics, they read the newspaper, they drink coffee, then that turns to a little wine and they whittle the day away.'

It reads like a good Sunday afternoon, but the lifestyle of the people of Acciaroli has become a source of fascination for Dr Alan Maisel.

There's something about the air, the ocean, the mountains, the hills, the olive and berry trees.

The reason: almost a third of the small southern Italian township's population is over the age of 100.

Despite having spent time in Acciaroli, Maisel, a cardiologist from the University of California, San Diego, can't quite figure why that is.

'We would notice these people were walking around. Some would be smoking, some would be pretty fat as well, and it just seemed [beyond] the usual health benefits of just the Mediterranean diet,' he says.

'Every meal they're eating anchovies, and they eat them fried and greasy.'

Typically, that will be washed down with a glass or two of wine.

Many of the town's population, says Maisel, are even older—up to 110.

In research terms, that makes the town a 'blue zone', a designated place where people tend to age well.

There are others dotted throughout the world, but many have already been the subject of research.

'This one's never been studied,' says Maisel.

Given the average age in Australia is around 82, and several years lower in the US, it's a phenomenon that merits investigation.

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Whatsapp The streets of Acciaroli at night

On his previous travels to Acciaroli with Italian cardiologist Dr Salvatore DiSomma, Maisel made several observations about the locals and their lifestyle.

'Everyone in Acciaroli grows rosemary in their garden. Rosemary is used in a number of forms in almost every meal: as a garnish, an oil and in sauces.

'There are scientific studies—small studies albeit—demonstrating the beneficial effects of rosemary on cognitive function,' he says.

'They're also very, very active. You don't see a yoga class on the beach, you don't see them jogging, but they have to move up and down the hills.'

Masiel will now return with a team of specialists to a study a range of different lifestyle, environment and genetic factors.

'We're going to tackled this in every way that we can,' he says.

'We have to think that possibly there's something genetic that we can find. Diabetes, for instance, is a low risk yet we saw a lot of heavy people there and nothing happens to them.'

While Maisel's work is grounded in scientific and behavioural research, he's clearly captivated by life in the Mediterranean township.

'There's something about the air, the ocean, the mountains, the hills, the olive and berry trees.

'Your first thought after you get there is, "I need to move here."

'I'm going to talk with them, walk with them, take them out for a good meal and I'm going to watch what they order.

'Then I'm going to say: "I'm having what they're having."

'Maybe I'll live to be 100 too.'

Listen to the full interview Cardiologist Dr Alan Maisel joins RN Drive to explain his fascination with Acciaroli.

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