An increasingly greater wave of involvement is being created around the story of the family who lives in an ancient farmhouse immersed in the woods of Palmoli, in the Vastese area. Here, those parents – she Australian, he British, 51 – have chosen to raise their three children in a profoundly different way than usual, in close contact with nature.
A choice which, in the space of a few hours, has become a national case: among those who express closeness, those who ask for clarity and those who await the next decisions of the Juvenile Court of L’Aquila.
We talked about it here: They raise their children in the woods, far from the “system”, and the Prosecutor’s Office intervenes: but what really is a happy childhood?
The couple has already collected at least ten written testimonies in support of their lifestyle, presented by their lawyer. Added to these are more than 1,800 signatures on a petition – Let’s protect a happy family – which asks to “save the family living in the woods“, remembering that the well-being of the little ones must be the cornerstone of every choice. In the images circulated online, the children appear smiling, immersed in outdoor life, engaged in natural activities and studying under the guidance of a teacher.
What is so scary?
Their house is a former rural home without the classic gas, water or electricity connections: everything replaced by solar panels, a well and a fireplace. The eight-year-old girl and the six-year-old twins do not attend traditional school, but follow theunschoolinga form of parental education provided for by Italian law. And they don’t live isolated at all: they have relationships with their neighbors, receive visits and share their days with Gallipoli, a donkey that has almost become a small mascot for the children of the area.
However, the matter came under the scrutiny of the authorities after an episode that raised the alarm: in September 2024 the entire family was hospitalized for wild mushroom poisoning. Subsequent checks by the Carabinieri and social services highlighted the lack of some essential services, the absence of a pediatrician and housing conditions considered inadequate for three minors. Hence the request from the Prosecutor’s Office to suspend parental responsibility and evaluate temporary custody.
The couple’s lawyer rejects the idea of a context of degradation and recalls that the parents are economically independent and that no sign of neglect or violence has ever been found on the children. In the long letter sent to the judge, mom and dad explain that they offer every day “a natural environment, clean water, a warm and safe place to sleep, eat and playThey talk about a compost toilet, frequent social activities and an educational path based on Italian, mathematics, science, languages and online lessons, all monitored by a teacher.
The Court’s decision will arrive at the end of the month. On the one hand there are the reports from the social services, which speak of “extremely precarious conditionsOn the other, an increasingly active community asking not to separate these children from their parents.
In the middle, there are them: three little ones who live between freedom, nature and an unconventional everyday life. And it will be their serenity that will guide the judge’s final choice.
The petition: Change.org
