Living la dolce vita

Italians stay healthier for longer. So what's their secret? Could it be the long leisurely lunches at home ... or is it simply their refusal to jog? Italian journalist Guido Santevecchi dishes up a little friendly advice

Guido Santevecchi
Tuesday July 4, 2006

Guardian

Well, Italy is making the headlines again. And this time it is not Berlusconi saying coglioni (balls), or anything else offensive, to his fellow citizens. Possibly another sleaze story about football, you might think? No. Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoia dating a new signorina? No again. Actually, this time, it's a good news story about Italy.

According to scientists at Leicester University, people stay healthier for longer, in Italy, compared with those in other European countries. And the differences in the Euro health league tables are really quite striking.

The Germans - or i panzer, as we usually refer to them - lag behind us, in terms of both life expectancy and the number of years of healthy life one can expect. And so do the French, our cugini transalpini (cousins over the Alps). And as for the United Kingdom (sorry, we used to call you perfida) ... apparently Italian men can expect to stay healthy a whole decade after British men. Italian women, meanwhile, can expect to avoid the first ageing illnesses (we call them acciacchi) for a full 14 years longer than British women.

Under the circumstances, I wonder if you Brits would mind taking some advice from an Italian. After all, with Italy and its politicians and its economy forever in dire straits, perhaps we deserve the chance to feel a little full of ourselves, and full of a little good advice too.

First of all, at lunchtime, stop that crappy junk food, be it sandwiches or pots of salad that you are so eager to buy after queueing for ages in the street or at Tesco. And stay well away from your company canteen with its frustrated cooks.

Instead, go home for your lunch. It's what the Italians do, and it serves us well. OK, your boss may object, but really your boss should be going home at lunchtime too.

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