A baby’s birth brought a rare sense of joy and new, renewed attention to a small community nestled in the mountains of central Italy. The population has slowly decreased over decades in the region and hence this is a big news for the people there. Pagliara dei Marsi is a small, countryside village on the slopes of Mount Girifalco in the Abruzzo region. With the passing of the years, many residents left for work and other opportunities. People continued to leave this place, and over the years, the population declined slowly. Today, there are less than 20 people.In March, that silence was broken for the first time in almost 30 years with the birth of a child. Lara Bussi Trabucco became the first baby born in Pagliara dei Marsi in three decades. Her arrival brought joy throughout the village and slightly increased its population.According to her mother, Cinzia Trabucco, there are those who had never even heard of the village who now come for a visit just because of Lara. At nine months old, she is an unexpected celebrity.This story reflects a much larger national trend. According to the Italian national statistics agency, Istat, the country recorded only 369,944 births in 2024- the lowest number ever documented. The birth rate of Italy has fallen for 16 years in a row as women now have an average of just 1.18 children, one of the lowest fertility rates in the European Union.Factors for low population Experts show several factors that have caused this decline, including unstable employment, moving of the younger members abroad, limited support for working mothers, rising infertility among men, and a growing number of adults choosing not to have children.The issue is more alarming in the Abruzzo region. Initial data for 2025 indicates that the births are steadily falling, as there was a recorded decline of 10.2 percent from January to July in comparison to the same period in the previous year. In Italy, the effects are also becoming more apparent. The country has an aging population. The number of students going to schools has been low. As a result, schools are closing. The country has been losing villages and towns. Against this background, the arrival of just one child in a nearly forgotten village has become a potent reminder of the difficulties that Italy is facing and the hope that a new life is capable of bringing.