"In Pagliara dei Marsi, an ancient rural village on the slopes of Mount Girifalco in Italy's Abruzzo region, cats vastly outnumber people. They weave through the narrow streets, wander in and out of homes, and stretch out on walls overlooking the mountains. Their purrs are a consistent hum in the quiet that has come with decades of population decline. But less so since March, when rapturous celebrations marked a rare occurrence: the birth of a child."
"Lara Bussi Trabucco is the first baby to have been born in Pagliara dei Marsi in almost 30 years, bringing the village's population to roughly 20. Her christening in the church opposite her home was attended by the entire community including the cats and such is the novelty of having a baby in the village, she is now the main tourist attraction."
Pagliara dei Marsi is an ancient rural village where cats now outnumber people and decades of population decline have left roughly 20 residents. A baby, Lara Bussi Trabucco, became the first child born there in almost 30 years, prompting communal celebrations and turning the child into a local tourist attraction. The parents received a one-off 1,000-euro payment plus monthly child support under national policies. Nationwide, 2024 births hit a historic low of 369,944 and the fertility rate fell to 1.18, driven by job insecurity, youth emigration, weak support for working mothers, rising male infertility, and deliberate childlessness.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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