The case

The Anglo-Australian family of Palmoli: the court dispute and political tensions over child protection

A request has been made to the Presidential Committee of the Csm to protect the magistrates of the Juvenile Court of L'Aquila

by Davide Madeddu

24 November 2025

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The children with their mother in a protected structure, the father waiting for the lawyer's appeal and - around the corner - the political (and media) case that 'bursts'. These are the points that characterise the story of the "family of the woods"of Palmoli, in the province of Chieti. That is, the case of the Anglo-Australian couple who decided to live in the small municipality of Abruzzo in a cottage in the woods without electricity and running water, choosing the home-teacher formula for their children's education.

In recent days came the decision of the minor court of L'Aquila to take the three children away from the couple. And to send them to a protected facility with their mother. The last act in a course of action that began last year when medical personnel had to intervene and the children had to be hospitalised for mushroom poisoning. This was followed by the Carabinieri's control and the report to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Juvenile Court. Then the new acts, with the suspension of parental authority and the order to transfer the children to a protected facility and the appointment of a temporary guardian to ensure their protection.

The case turned political

Stages that led to a political and, of course, media case. Even the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, 'alarmed' by the decision of the juvenile court, exposed herself.

The premier thus asked the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio to assess whether 'there are grounds' to consider sending inspectors. 'Tearing a child away from his family is an extremely painful act,' Nordio said, 'we need to carry out in-depth investigations'.

The vice-premier and League leader Matteo Salvini also increased the dose, speaking of 'a kidnapping of three children taken away from a mother and a father in an unworthy, worrying, dangerous and shameful manner', announcing that he was 'committed to getting to the bottom of it and if necessary also to talking to the judge of the juvenile court'.

The defence of the judiciary

Thus came the reply from the National Association of Magistrates, which emphasised that "the ordinance is over-motivated, it is ten pages long". In a note, the central executive council of the ANM emphasised that the measure "is based on technical evaluations and objective elements: safety, sanitary conditions, access to social life, school obligation".

Not only that. Because, after hours of controversy, a petition to protect the magistrates of the Juvenile Court of L'Aquila was submitted to the Committee of the Presidency of the Superior Council of the Judiciary. An act signed by all the toga councillors, with the exception of Bernadette Nicotra of MI and lay councillors Michele Papa, Ernesto Carbone and Roberto Romboli.

The insults on social

This was also influenced by the controversy on social media, where a veritable media campaign with insults and threats against the juvenile court began.

The appeal is being prepared

Meanwhile, the family's lawyer, Giovanni Angelucci, is working to prepare theappeal against the order with the aim of 'getting the family reunited' and bringing everyone back home. In order to do so, it is not excluded that it may be decided to fill the gaps in the court order, from those on education to technical ones such as, for example, the installation of a bathroom adjacent to the house where.

The newly rural

The father of the little ones, at the end of a meeting of the neo-rural group, several families living between Palmoli, Tufillo and San Buono, announced that he would no longer speak or give interviews. Also speaking in support of the Anglo-Australian family was the mayor of Palmoli, Giuseppe Masciulli, who said that "they have not made such a radical choice, they have the utilities". "As for the family's case," he added, "there are ten days, from the date of the notification, to present the appeal. We know that the lawyer is proceeding with the appeal. For the time being, the administration has not been involved except for the expenses related to the facility where these people have been housed'.

Famiglia in un bosco in Abruzzo, il Tribunale dei minori allontana i tre figli

The demonstration in Rome

A national demonstration in solidarity with the 'family in the woods" is scheduled for 6 December in Rome, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Family and Equal Opportunities.

The online petition

At the same time as the demonstration, an online petition was launched to invite those interested to participate in the sit-in in Piazza Santi Apostoli in Rome against an 'extreme measure that seems to be based on a cultural assessment of the parents' lifestyle'. 'This case,' the organisers write, 'does not just concern one family in the woods, it concerns us all.