The attendance register at a tiny primary school in southern Italy will contain just one name: Aysha.
On September 10, the six-year-old is due to begin classes in Ginostra, a remote village on the volcanic island of Stromboli. She will have a teacher, a classroom and lessons in every subject — but no classmates.
The unusual arrangement has led the school to be described as the smallest in Europe. More remarkably, it is reopening after being closed for 20 years.
Ginostra is sometimes called "an island within an island." Although it belongs to Stromboli, no road connects it with the island's larger settlements. The village can be reached only by sea, and winter ferry services are not always reliable.
Around 40 people live there during the colder months. There is one small grocery store, which is not always open, and few public services. For Aysha's parents, sending their daughter to another school would have meant depending on boats whose timetables did not fit the school day. In bad weather, the journey might not have been possible at all.
The family faced an uncomfortable choice: leave the village they loved, live separately or find a way to bring the school back.
They chose the third option.
After requests from the family and local officials, education authorities approved the reopening. The village parish then offered renovated rooms free of charge, providing Aysha with a classroom close to home. One teacher will be responsible for all her subjects.
Being the only pupil will bring obvious advantages. Aysha will never struggle to attract her teacher's attention, hide unfinished homework behind another child or wait long for help with a difficult question.
But individual attention is not the same as a complete school experience. Classmates teach children how to share, argue, cooperate and make friends. A playground built for one can easily feel more lonely than peaceful.
That is why residents hope Aysha will not remain the school's only pupil forever. Her classroom is more than a practical solution for one family. It is also a small act of confidence in Ginostra's future.
Remote villages often lose young families when basic services disappear. Once the school closes, parents move away; once families leave, reopening the school becomes even harder. Ginostra is attempting to reverse that cycle — starting with a single desk.
When lessons begin, the building will hear a teacher's voice again after two decades of silence. The class may be Europe's smallest, but for one child and one tiny village, its importance could hardly be bigger.