A British man who moved his family to live ‘off the grid’ amongst the Italian wilderness has had his children taken off him.
Nathan Trevallion moved to a cottage in the Abruzzo woods with his Australian wife Catherine Birmingham and their three children.
But on Thursday afternoon, four cars filled with police officers entered the home and took their children to a care facility.
The family came to the attention of the authorities after they all went to hospital due to eating poisonous mushrooms they picked in the woods.
A judge then made the decision to have them removed after it was found they did not attend school or were even tutored.
Nathan said: ‘It was quite a shock, very fast and unexpected. We have been targeted because we chose to live a different kind of life.’
The family slept in one bedroom with a stove in the kitchen being used for heat.
(Picture: Courtesy of Catherine Birmingham)
They used an outhouse as a toilet and water was drawn from a nearby well.
But Nathan insists their way of life is better for them, saying: ‘This is the best way to raise children. We are aiming for a more open-minded generation who can change the world for the better.
‘The winters here are mild and we have stayed in rented accommodation in the past that had a colder loo.’
Locals have also defended the family, with a petition to the defend them hitting 45,000 signatures.
Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister, said: ‘I find it shameful that the state is getting involved in the personal choices of two parents who found hospitality in Italy, only to have their children taken from them.’
The local mayor has also supported them and dropped off olive oil and biscuits to show solidarity.
Nathan said: ‘I was meeting the local mayor with my lawyer when we got a call from a social worker saying she was at the Carabinieri police station and we needed to get over there. There were ten officers ready to go and kidnap the children, to put it bluntly.
‘We spent 30 minutes negotiating and they agreed to allow Catherine to accompany the children to a centre. It was a compromise. Otherwise they would have just taken away the children without saying where.
‘There was a look of shock on the children’s faces. The place in Vasto is behind a fence, it’s an institution, very different to the peace they are used to. They slept downstairs while my wife slept upstairs, although hopefully they will be able to go up to sleep with her tonight.’
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