There was a big party in Romagnese, a small town with fewer than 600 inhabitants in the province of Pavia, northern Italy, where a birth was registered for the first time in 57 years.

The last time that the cries of a newborn were heard was in 1957, Italian media report.

The long wait is now over thanks to little Marghelisa, the newcomer weighing 3.6 kg, who was born at the Policlinico di Pavia.

The mayor of Romagnese, Manuel Achille, celebrated together with the parents of the child, the 36-year-old mother Elisa Nervetti and the 25-year-old father Luca Truddaiu.

"I would like other young people to follow in the footsteps of Elisa and Luca to ensure that our Apennines can begin to repopulate slowly," the mayor said.

Elisa and Luca decided to return to her father's house and build their family in the small village. The new mother, interviewed by Repubblica, commented on this choice: "My father's family home is in Canedo and I moved there in 2019. Then, with the onset of the health emergency from Covid, my partner decided to join me and in turn take up residence in Romagnese. We have renovated the building and now the family has expanded".