UK dad denounces Italy court’s removal of off‑grid kids
A British father has condemned an Italian court decision that moved his three children away from the off-grid forest home where he and his Australian wife lived after the family came under scrutiny when they were poisoned by mushrooms.
A juvenile court in the central city of L’Aquila ruled this week that the couple’s alternative lifestyle put the children’s health at risk and ordered their eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old twin boys to be placed in foster care.
Nathan Trevallion’s wife Catherine Birmingham was allowed to accompany the children to their new accommodation after lawyers convinced social workers her presence was necessary to limit the trauma of separation.
“It was the worst night of my life,” Trevallion told local newspaper Il Centro.
“Taking children away from their parents is the greatest pain… It is an injustice.”
The couple bought a farmhouse in the mountainous Abruzzo region in 2021 and were raising their children on solar power, well water and home-grown food, without electricity, water or gas. The children are homeschooled and have little to no opportunities to mingle with other young people.
“Members of the Trevallion family have no social interaction, no regular income, no plumbing in the residence, and the children do not attend school,” the juvenile court said in its written decision. he said.
Trevallion’s case came to the attention of police last year; The entire family was hospitalized after eating poisonous mushrooms.
“Since then it’s been a nightmare,” said Trevallion, who is studying to be a chef.
The case sparked intense debate about alternative lifestyles in Italy, with more than 13,000 people signing an online petition in support of the family.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, condemned the court decision.
“It’s a shame that the state interferes in private education and personal life choices, and steals children from a family who found Italy to be a welcoming country,” he told Radio24, adding that he would seek to intervene on behalf of the family.
The conservative group Pro Vita & Famiglia also accused the court of overstepping the mark.
“The state and social services should only intervene in cases of proven abuse, mistreatment or neglect, not to punish lifestyles that do not conform to prevailing standards,” said the group’s spokesman, Jacopo Coghe.
