Blogger’s Note: Something of a “Children of Men” vibe about this story – although the allusions to the Christian Christmas myth (divine or special birth) is obvious. Of course, it is human-nature to wish the child and parents well – and natural to praise and bestow all kinds of gifts (again, all very Biblical). Although some Italians can be staunch irreligionists – other are devout Roman Catholics – this is particularly the case within remote villages. This would mean no contraception – and sex used only for procreation (no enjoying under any circumstance – and no unnecssary looking at one another during the act – goodness knows where any of that could lead). All very well and good – but this usually means that Catholics tend to breed like rabbits (no offense to rabbits – for whom I possess a healthy respect). It is interesting that the article talks of “ageing populations” and “emigration” (young people migrating to other areas or countries) as contributing factors. Indeed, the parents are older – but older is “in” nowadays – with women as mature as 55-years old successfully conceiving and birthing (my partner is a Mid-Wife) – usually after a long and triumphant career. ACW (27.12.2025)
In Pagliara dei Marsi, an ancient rural village on the slopes of Mount Girifalco in the Abruzzo region of Italy, cats outnumber the inhabitants.
They wander through narrow alleys, enter and exit houses and lie on walls. Their meowing is a constant sound in the silence left by decades of population decline, the Guardian wrote.
But that has changed since March, when the village enthusiastically celebrated a rare event: the birth of a child.
Lara Bussi Trabucco is the first child to be born in Pagliara dei Marsi in almost 30 years, bringing the village’s population to around 20. She is the daughter of 42-year-old Cinzia Trabucco and her partner Paolo Bussi, 56.
Her baptism in the church opposite the house was attended by the entire community – including the cats – and because of the uniqueness of having a child in the village, she is now the main tourist attraction.
“People who didn’t even know Pagliara dei Marsi existed came just because they had heard about Lara,” her mother said.
“Even though she’s only nine months old, she’s famous.”
Lara’s birth is a symbol of hope, but also a bitter reminder of the demographic crisis in Italy.
In 2024, births in the country reached a historic low of 369,944, according to Istat data. The fertility rate also fell to its lowest level.
The reasons for this decline are many: job insecurity, mass emigration of young people, lack of support for working mothers and, as in other countries, rising male infertility. Furthermore, an increasing number of people are simply choosing not to have children.
The couple’s situation is unusual. Trabucco, a music teacher, was born in Frascati, near Rome, and worked in the capital for years before deciding to move to the village where her grandfather was born because she had always wanted to raise her family away from the chaos of the city. She met Bussi, a construction worker from the area, a few years ago.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 