The first baby born in almost 30 years in a village in Italy. “She's famous,” says the girl's mother

The first baby born after 30 years in a village in the Italian region of Abruzzo, Lara, has become famous, but it has also brought back the demographic crisis in Italy, where the birth rate is one of the lowest in the European Union.

In Pagliara dei Marsi, an old rural settlement on the slopes of Mount Girifalco, in the Abruzzo region of Italy, cats far outnumber people, reports The Guardian, according to News.ro. They slip through the narrow streets, go in and out of houses and stretch out on the walls overlooking the mountains. The noise they make when they purr is a constant hum in the quiet settled after decades of demographic decline.

But since March, enthusiastic celebrations have marked a rare event: the birth of a child.

Lara Bussi Trabucco is the first child born in Pagliara dei Marsi after almost 30 years, bringing the population of the village to approximately 20 people. Paolo and Cinzia, the parents of the little girl, received a one-time payment of 1,000 euros, as part of the policies promoted by Giorgia Meloni, in addition to the monthly allowance for the child.

At her baptism, in the church opposite the house, the whole community attended – including the cats – and, given the rarity of a baby in the village, she has now become the main tourist attraction.

“People came who didn't even know Pagliara dei Marsi existed, just because they'd heard of Lara,” said her mother, Cinzia Trabucco, adding: “At just nine months old, she's famous.”

The birth of Lara is a symbol of hope, but also a harsh way of reminding the worsening of the demographic crisis in Italy.

In 2024, the number of births in the country reached a historic low of 369,944, continuing a 16-year negative trend, according to data from Italy's national statistics institute. The birth rate also fell to a record low, with an average of 1.18 children born to women of childbearing age in 2024 – one of the lowest in the European Union.