A Year in the Village of Eternity

 

    Back in the winter months, my lunchtime reading each day was Tracey Lawson's A Year in the Village of Eternity, her account of twelve months in the Italian village of Campodimele, a place whose residents are extraordinarily long-lived and active and who have the gift of living well.

    Every day as I ate a simple sandwich I read about the lengths Tracey's village neighbours go to ensure that everything they eat is seasonal, local, organic, cibo genuino - "an all-encompassing philosophy - a regard for food that requires that produce is grown, harvested, prepared and served with respect for every link in the chain: the land, the produce itself, the people who eat it and the wider environment". Their diet is rich in beans and pulses, vegetables and fruits (eaten at the peak of freshness or preserved for use later), extra-virgin olive oil and red wine, but it's comparatively low in salt and red meat. Add to that the fact that the Campomelani are physically very active, walking almost everywhere, living off the land with all that that entails from harvesting the wood to fire their ovens to tending their gardens and foraging for wild food, or rising early for the daily baking of bread and making of pasta, their labour undertaken willingly for the convivial, sociable meals it results in and the sustenance it provides, and you have not only contented people who seem happy with their lot but who have a far lower than average incidence of cancer, heart disease and obesity.

    "In the countryside, there is always something to do," the ladies say as in July they stone tiny sour amarena cherries to be made into jam or preserved in their own syrup, "a methodical, repetitive task but one that's part of the social fabric of the village". In Campodimele the pattern of the year is set by the seasons and the sun and the phases of the moon; the farming calendar and the festivals of the church also dictate "the irresistible rhythm to which life is lived". Ogni cosa ha il suo momento - everything has its moment -  so whether it's cinnamon-flavoured ricotta tart in March, the tomato harvest and bottling in September, or potatoes for gnocchi in November, there is a time for every ingredient, a season for every dish.

    The book is full of recipes to illustrate the villagers' culinary habits and traditions, but it's their philosophy of life, their modus vivendi, which make it such an engaging and enjoyable read.

Comments

[Freda]

'their labour undertaken willingly' for pleasure in the results of their labours - this sounds like a must-read for me - thank you!

[Cornflower]

It's a lovely book.

[Rose]

This books sounds absolutely glorious.

[Margaret]

As a silver surfer I am new to blogs, yours was given to me by a friend in New Zealand! I love the bowl of tomato's,looks like a book to add to my must have list.

[Cornflower]

Welcome, Margaret! I hope you'll find more to enjoy here, and yes, the book is very enjoyable.

[Jane]

Finally reading this after seeing your review here, am absolutely loving it. Have even bottled my own tomatoes (on a much smaller scale than in the book)! Thank you for the recommendation, not my usual type of book, but beautifully written and really engrossing.

[Cornflower]

So glad you're enjoying it, Jane!