• A school on Italy's volcanic island of Stromboli reopened after more than 20 years with only one pupil attending.
• The six-year-old student, Aysha, was welcomed by her teacher in the remote village of Ginostra, which can only be reached by sea.
• The reopening of the school is seen as a positive step towards halting the population decline on the Lipari Islands, where families often have to relocate for their children's education.

A school reopened in Italy's small volcanic island of Stromboli on Thursday after more than 20 years, with only one pupil to attend.

Six-year-old Aysha was welcomed by her teacher on the first day of school, Italian news agency Ansa reported.

Aysha's parents had long campaigned for the school in the remote village of Ginostra to reopen.

Stromboli is located in the Mediterranean Sea north of Sicily, and is part of the Lipari Islands.

The island is best known for the active 930-metre Stromboli volcano which erupts regularly.

Ginostra is located on the island's western coast and only counts some 40 residents outside the tourist season. The village can only be reached by sea.

The new school is housed inside the local vicarage.

A video published by local news outlet notiziarioisoleeolie.it shows her teacher leading her by the hand into the schoolroom, where the two began their first lesson to the applause of residents.

Aysha was born on Stromboli to a Tunisian contractor. Her mother Moica Abbate had described the reopening of the school as "a great success, not just for us, but for the entire community of the Lipari Islands and for the whole of Ginostra," in earlier comments to La Repubblica.

Many families based in the region's small islands are forced to relocate from September to May to enable their children to attend school, Riccardo Gullo, mayor of the Lipari Islands, told the newspaper.

He said he hoped that the reopening of the school in Ginostra might be a first step towards halting the population decline that has been observed for years on the seven inhabited islands.