They moved to Italy to raise their kids in nature. Now a court has taken the children away.

Four years ago, Nathan Trevallion, a former chef from the UK, and Catherine Birmingham, a former horse-riding teacher from Australia, bought a "dilapidated" property in south-eastern Italy.

The couple, who met while travelling in Bali, wanted to raise their three kids, eight-year-old Utopia Rose and six-year-old twins Galorian and Bluebell, surrounded by nature and animals.

So, they settled in Palmoli, a municipality in the Abruzzo region, which sits on a hilltop overlooking the Monnola Valley and the Treste River.

Nathan, 51, and Catherine, 45, grew their own food, generated electricity through solar power, and accessed water from a well. Their children were home-schooled, and took weekly trips to a nearby town, San Salvo, which exposed them to the outside world.

For years, this was their reality. Until their existence came under threat.

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In September 2024, Nathan, Catherine, and their kids were hospitalised after eating poisonous mushrooms from the woods. The incident prompted social services to investigate, and they found the family's home to be "dilapidated, in terrible hygienic conditions, and lacking the necessary utilities," as per court documents.

Following this, Catherine set up a fundraiser, asking people to contribute to the family's legal fees and structural works for their home.

"We were forced to flee our property and home due to threats of our children being taken," Catherine wrote.

"This horrific experience has caused us to stand and fight for our rights under Natural Law to live off-grid and raise our children from home in nature," she continued, adding that their children are "thriving in health, mentally, physically, and emotionally."

But last week, a judge of a juvenile court in L'Aquila ordered the removal of the children from Nathan and Catherine's care.

"The family unit lives in housing hardship as the building has not been declared habitable," the order stated.

"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."

The Trevallion family. Image: Catherine Louise Birmingham via Why Donate

Police removed the three children on Thursday afternoon and took them to a church-run facility.

The family's lawyer, Giovanni Angelucci, negotiated an agreement to allow Catherine to accompany the children, though they are being held separately. Nathan, meanwhile, is not allowed near the shelter, according to reports.

Angelucci said the couple plan to appeal the court's decision, claiming that the judge's report contained "falsehoods", especially relating to the kids' schooling.

Following the verdict, Nathan described the "deep pain" of being without his kids.

"It's the worst night of my life. Taking children away from a parent is the greatest pain there is," the father told Italian publication Il Centro.

Nathan said his children "suffered" when they were taken by authorities.

"It's really hard to take children away from home so quickly, telling them they have to sleep tonight in a place they don't recognise. It's very hard. They were a little scared; I saw their faces; they were in shock."

The former chef also defended his family's lifestyle, saying he doesn't "feel accused of anything true."

"They didn't say we're bad parents. They just don't like the way we do things. We're a bit outside the system, the children are growing up outside the system, and I think that's why we're being persecuted. We're not doing anything wrong," he said.

"We live happily, with nature. Why do you want to take the children away from a family that is the happiest in the world? They're destroying the lives of five happy people."

Feature Image: catherinelouisebirmingham.com

*Mamamia has reached out to Trevallion for comment. Birmingham could not be contacted.