by InTrieste
A British-Australian couple whose three children were taken into protective custody from an off-grid dwelling in central Italy has accepted an offer of temporary housing nearby, according to Italian media reports.
The development marks a potential turning point in a case that has drawn widespread national attention. Nathan Trevallion, 51, a former chef from Britain, visited a small farmhouse offered at no cost by a local restaurateur and, according to reports, expressed immediate interest in relocating. The property is located in the countryside surrounding Palmoli, in Italy’s Abruzzo region, not far from the woodland site where the family had been living.
Trevallion and his wife, Catherine Birmingham, 45, a former horse-riding instructor from Australia, have been seeking to reunite with their three children — an eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old twins — who were removed from their care on Nov. 20 following a ruling by the juvenile court in L’Aquila. The children were transferred to a protected facility, where authorities are monitoring their well-being. Birmingham has been granted limited visitation.
In a statement on Saturday, the couple’s lawyers, Marco Femminella and Danila Solinas, described the move as a “step forward,” saying it would allow the pair to live in accordance with their values while addressing concerns raised by social services about hygiene and sanitation at their previous home. The attorneys said they had filed an appeal on Friday challenging the court order that removed the children, adding that the couple “have always had the best interests of their children at heart.”
The temporary home consists of two large rooms, access to water from a well, a composting toilet and several sheds for animals, Italian news outlets reported. The owner, Armando Carusi, who grew up in the farmhouse and now runs a restaurant in the coastal city of Ortona, said he understood the family’s desire to live close to nature. “I’m not shocked by the family’s lifestyle in the woods because I experienced it myself as a child,” he told the ANSA news agency.
Trevallion and Birmingham purchased their remote plot near Chieti in 2021. They raised animals, grew organic produce and relied on well water, a wood-burning stove and solar power. Social services, however, cited inadequate facilities and what they described as conditions that could cause “serious harm” to the children’s development. The couple has rejected these accusations, saying they chose to leave what they call the “toxicity of modern life” and pursue homeschooling and a self-sufficient lifestyle.
The case has fueled a national debate in Italy over alternative living arrangements and the state’s role in intervening. More than 153,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the family to be allowed to continue their way of life undisturbed.
The situation came to public attention last autumn, after all five family members were hospitalized following mushroom poisoning — an event that drew scrutiny to the family’s living conditions and prompted the involvement of authorities.
