Italy's Mountain Village Welcomes First Baby In 30 Years

In a quiet mountain village in Italy where cats are more common than people, the birth of a baby has brought rare joy and new attention. Pagliara dei Marsi is a small rural village on the slopes of Mount Girifalco in the Abruzzo region. Over the years, many people have left, and the population has steadily fallen. Today, cats roam freely through its narrow streets, enter homes without hesitation, and rest on stone walls facing the mountains. Their soft sounds fill the silence left by decades of decline, reported the Guardian.

In March, the village celebrated the birth of a child for the first time in nearly 30 years, breaking the silence that had settled there.

Lara Bussi Trabucco was the first baby born in Pagliara dei Marsi in three decades. Her birth brought the village's population to nearly 20. Her baptism ceremony was held in the church opposite her house, attended by the entire village, including several of the village's cats. Since childbirth is rare in this village, Lara has quickly become a major attraction.

Lara's mother, Cinzia Trabucco, explained that even people who had never heard of Pagliara dei Marsi before are now visiting the village simply because of Lara's name. She said that at just nine months old, her daughter has become quite famous.

While Lara's birth has brought joy, it has also highlighted Italy's serious population problem. According to the national statistics agency, Itat, the number of births in the country fell to 369,944 in 2024, the lowest level ever recorded.

This decline has continued for the past 16 years. The fertility rate has also reached a record low, with women having an average of only 1.18 children, one of the lowest in the European Union.

This decline is due to several reasons, including unstable jobs, young people moving abroad, lack of adequate support for working mothers, increasing infertility among men, and many people deciding not to have children themselves.

The situation is even more severe in the Abruzzo region. According to preliminary data for 2025, the number of births continues to decline. Between January and July, the region recorded a 10.2 percent decrease in births compared to the same period last year.

Although Pagliara dei Marsi is a small village, it reflects the situation across Italy, where the elderly population is growing, schools are emptying, and villages and towns are gradually shrinking. This is putting pressure on public services and the economy.