Overview
- The L'Aquila juvenile court placed three children into protective care at a church-run facility in Vasto, with their mother allowed to stay on site but with restricted contact.
- The written order cited an uninhabitable dwelling, lack of sanitary facilities, social isolation, no fixed income, and non-attendance at school, following the family's off-grid lifestyle in Abruzzo.
- Authorities began monitoring the family after all five members were hospitalised in September 2024 for mushroom poisoning, and magistrates say court orders were disregarded over roughly a year.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced alarm and asked the justice minister to assess the case, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini condemned the removal and said he would visit, and magistrates' groups defended the ruling.
- The parents deny neglect and plan to appeal, while a public petition supporting the family has surpassed 135,000 signatures.