A team of researchers has turned its attention to a small Italian town that boasts a remarkable concentration of healthy centenarians—people who live past age 100. The community, located in Acciaroli (in the Cilento area in the Campania region), is home to roughly 300 residents who’ve reached this milestone, with nearly 20 percent living to 110—despite many being overweight or still smoking.

As part of the CIAO (“Centenarians in Alto lODs And Ultra‑old”) project led by scientists from the University of Rome La Sapienza and UC San Diego, researchers spent six months gathering extensive data. They conducted physical and cognitive assessments, collected blood samples, mapped family lineages, and analyzed daily habits.