Rural Italian Village Welcomes First Baby in Nearly 30 Years: ‘She’s Famous’

In the tiny Italian village of Pagliara dei Marsi, the birth of a baby girl has become a rare and celebrated event. Lara Bussi Trabucco is the first child born in the community in almost three decades, highlighting what many describe as Italy’s ongoing “demographic winter.”

Lara’s arrival has unexpectedly put Pagliara dei Marsi on the map. With her birth, the village’s population has risen to around 20 residents, and visitors have begun arriving out of sheer curiosity. The Guardian reports that the village now has more cats than people.

“People who didn’t even know Pagliara dei Marsi existed have come, only because they had heard about Lara,” her mother, Cinzia Trabucco, told the outlet. “At just 9 months old, she’s famous.”

Italy has been grappling with a steep decline in births for years. According to data from the national statistics agency Istat, the country recorded a historic low number of births in 2024, driven by factors including youth migration abroad, economic uncertainty, and infertility, The Guardian reported.

Mayor Giuseppina Perozzi, who lives just a few doors away from Lara and her family, described the village’s struggle with depopulation. “Pagliara dei Marsi has been suffering from drastic depopulation, exacerbated by the loss of many elderly people, without any generational turnover,” she explained.

Following Lara’s birth, Cinzia and her partner, Paolo Bussi, received a €1,000 (about $1,176) one-time “baby bonus,” along with a monthly child benefit of €370 (around $435). These payments are part of a policy introduced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration in January 2025, aimed at encouraging families to have or adopt children.

Despite the joy surrounding Lara’s arrival, her parents say practical concerns remain. They are already thinking ahead about her education, noting that the village hasn’t had a teacher for decades.

Still, Mayor Perozzi remains optimistic. She told The Guardian that she hopes Lara’s birth will inspire other families to consider settling down or having children in Pagliara dei Marsi, offering a small but meaningful sign of hope amid Italy’s broader population decline.