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Living longer on a Greek island and Venice's Jewish cemetery

Pascale Harter presents stories on the remarkable long-lived inhabitants of a Greek island, and Venice's almost-forgotten Jewish cemetery.

Good things come to those who wait. That’s what Andrew Bomford learned when he visited the Greek island of Ikaria, where the residents live, on average, ten years longer than most other Europeans. Their longevity has been put down to healthy diet, the local wine, but most of all – as Andrew found – to their relaxed attitude to life. But will a laid-back approach fit with the pressures of modern journalism?

Also on the programme, we visit Venice. Lachlan Goudie skipped the well-known Isola di San Michele, the city’s atmospheric cemetery which visitors pass on their way to the airport. Instead he sought out a burial ground which was used by Venetian Jews during the height of the city’s trade power in the Middle Ages. Until relatively recently the Lido cemetery was in a state of disrepair. So why did Venetians turn their back on the financiers who made them rich?

Presented by Pascale Harter.

Available now

10 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 10 Jan 2013 11:50GMT
  • Thu 10 Jan 2013 19:50GMT
  • Fri 11 Jan 2013 01:50GMT
  • Fri 11 Jan 2013 04:50GMT