A family of five was living off-grid in a remote cabin in central Italy. Then the courts intervened CNN [View all]
The self-described idyllic life of a family of five living in an Italian forest with horses, donkeys and chickens has stalled after a court ordered the children be removed and placed in foster care.
The parents, Nathan Trevallion, a 51-year-old British former professional chef, and Catherine Birmingham, a 45-year-old Australian life coach and former equestrian trainer, were named in an order issued by a L’Aquila court as parents of the children – one eight-year-old and six-year-old twins.
“The family unit lives in housing hardship as the building has not been declared habitable,” the order states. “The members of the Trevallion family have no social interaction, no fixed income, the home has no toilet facilities, and the children do not attend school. The order is based on the risk of violating the right to social life in consideration of the serious and harmful violations of the children’s rights to physical and mental integrity the parents should be suspended from parental responsibility.”
Giovanni Angelucci, the family’s lawyer, says the family heats the home with fireplaces and uses solar panels for light and to charge their devices. The family removed running water to avoid microplastics as well as costs and instead draws fresh water from a well on the property. They don’t have an indoor toilet but instead use an outdoor composting toilet.
The family’s living situation came to light in September 2024 after all five were hospitalized for poisoning after eating wild mushrooms from the forest
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/europe/bimbi-nel-bosco-italy-courts-intl
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