A six-year-old girl named Aysha will be the sole student at Europe's smallest school when it opens its doors on September 10 in the remote fishing hamlet of Ginostra, located on the Italian island of Stromboli. The community, perched on the slopes of one of Europe's most active volcanoes, was once served by a primary school that closed two decades ago as its population dwindled to approximately 40 residents.
Local authorities agreed to reopen the school after Aysha's parents, Monica Abbate and Raffa Bazine, stated they might be forced to leave the island if their daughter could not attend a local school. Without the reopened facility, Aysha would have had to travel to a school in Lipari, the largest island in the Aeolian archipelago. Her parents expressed their commitment to staying on Stromboli, emphasizing their daughter's happiness and social interactions with temporary residents.
The reopened school will operate from a single classroom within a building owned by the local Catholic parish. Riccardo Gullo, the village's mayor, described the school's opening as a "sign of solidarity for this isolated community" and stated that schooling should be a "fundamental right" for all, regardless of their location. The parish priest, Father Nino Pirrotta, added that schools serve not only as educational institutions but also as community focal points.
Ginostra's isolation is compounded by its lack of roads, with access solely by boat. Rough seas can frequently cut the community off from the mainland, leading residents to nickname it "the island within an island."
The volcanic island of Stromboli has a history of attracting filmmakers. It served as the backdrop for Roberto Rossellini's 1950 film "Stromboli," starring Ingrid Bergman, and more recently hosted filming for "Three Incestuous Sisters," featuring actors Mick Jagger, Dakota Johnson, and Josh O'Connor.
Aysha is not the first child to attend a school with a single student. In 2015, Aron Anderson was reportedly the only pupil at the Skerries Community School on the remote Scottish island of Out Skerries. The local council at the time allocated a significant budget for his education, far exceeding the cost of boarding at a prestigious private school.