Through the window of the car in front, there's a short, sharp cry from the toddler - eased with a quick lollipop or a colourful picture: a distraction aid once the swab is finished. And then the next in a long line of vehicles pulls up as Rome's "Baby drive-in" continues apace. The test serves children from newborn to the age of six. A result comes within 30 minutes. If it's negative, they can return to day-care or school, even if there's a positive case in their class. It's the latest innovative initiative by the country that was the first in Europe to be overwhelmed by coronavirus but which is for now managing to keep the virus in check more successfully than many others. Why is Italy bucking the trend? Italy's cumulative number of Covid cases over the past two weeks is currently just over 37 per 100,000 people, among the lowest rates in Europe. The UK is at over 100, France exceeds 230 and Spain has around 330. "February and March were very hard," says Elisabetta Cortis, one of the paediatricians who founded the drive-through project. "And then we suffered a lot because with the lockdown, we had many problems for the kids. They stayed alone - no friends, no school, no sport, nothing." It is actually difficult to pinpoint exactly why Italy is somewhat bucking the trend of European countries experiencing an alarming spike in cases. Its testing rate is not exceptionally high - the UK is carrying out over three times the tests of Italy - but the swabs are widely available and rapid testing is now in place at some airports, train stations and schools, so there is no sign of the problems in accessing tests that have been seen in the UK and elsewhere. The most likely explanation is a combination of factors: efficient test and tracing, a longer lockdown - Italy was the world's first country to shut down nationwide and among the slowest to reopen - and the fact that the trauma of the early weeks of the pandemic frightened Italians into widespread compliance with rules.