It's a place of terraced lemon groves, a paradoxically warm mountain breeze, and a powerful fat-killing gene carried by a few lucky residents. Limone sul Garda, a picturesque fishing village set on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy's northern Lombardy region, is an unusual destination of barely 1,000 residents.

It is the most northern spot in the entire world where lemons are naturally grown and has an exceptionally mild climate, considering its location at the feet of the Alps. Perhaps this mix of factors is what has led to the village's claims of a secret "elixir" to a healthy, long life.