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Italian Court Orders Removal of Three Children from Off‑Grid British Family in Abruzzo

Italian authorities removed three children from a remote Abruzzo farmhouse after a judge upheld prosecutors' claims the children faced "serious harm" due to an off‑grid lifestyle and home schooling. The children — an eight‑year‑old girl and six‑year‑old twins — were taken to a shelter in Vasto; the mother was allowed to accompany them but says she has been separated from them. Supporters launched a petition and the parents are appealing the court decision.

08:18 PM, 11/21/2025Society
Italian Court Orders Removal of Three Children from Off‑Grid British Family in Abruzzo

Italian authorities removed three young children from a remote farmhouse in the Abruzzo region after a judge in L'Aquila upheld prosecutors' claims that the children were at risk of serious harm. The parents, British father Nathan Trevallion (51) and his Australian wife Catherine Birmingham, moved to the two‑room terracotta farmhouse near Palmoli in 2021 and chose an off‑grid lifestyle with home schooling.

Prosecutors described the property as dilapidated and said the family lacked basic facilities, including a mains water supply and a modern bathroom; the children were reported to be using an outhouse. Court filings said the children do not attend a conventional school and recommended urgent placement into care. The judge’s decision led to ten Carabinieri officers taking custody of the children — eight‑year‑old Utopia Rose and six‑year‑old twins Galorian and Bluebell — and transferring them to a shelter in the coastal town of Vasto.

"We’ve been imprisoned for a crime we never did," Ms Birmingham said, adding that she felt her parental rights had been stripped and that the children were not in immediate danger. She said she was allowed to accompany the children to the shelter but has been kept apart from them and does not know who is caring for them. Mr Trevallion has said he is appealing the decision and contests the authorities' right to remove the children.

Living Conditions and Community Response

The family lives in a small, two‑room farmhouse surrounded by woodland, where they draw water from a well, generate electricity with solar panels, and grow vegetables on cleared plots. Supporters say the couple paid about €20,000 for the property, live deliberately simply, and the children appear healthy. An online petition titled "Salviamo la famiglia che vive nel bosco" ("Let’s save the family living in the forest") gathered more than 30,000 signatures in support of the parents.

Legal Status and Next Steps

A court‑appointed independent lawyer for the children, Marika Bolognese, has previously said the parents cooperated and the children appeared well, though she was unavailable to comment on the removal. If the parents lose an appeal, the children could be placed into foster care. The case highlights a clash between parental choice to live off‑grid and state obligations to protect children’s welfare, and it may prompt further legal and public debate about how such lifestyles are assessed under child‑protection laws.

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