Mauro Morandi, an Italian man nicknamed “Robinson Crusoe” by the media after living alone on a paradise island for more than three decades, has died at the age of 85.
Morandi stumbled upon Budelli, an island off Sardinia famous for its pink-sanded beach, in 1989 after his catamaran broke down on the way to the South Pacific. He soon learned that the island’s caretaker was about to retire, and so he abandoned the sailing trip, sold his boat and took over the role.
His home on Budelli was a former second world war shelter until 2021, when he was evicted after a lengthy tussle by La Maddalena national park authorities, which had planned to transform the island into a hub for environmental education.
Morandi moved into a one-bedroom apartment on La Maddalena, the largest of the archipelago of seven islands off the north coast of Sardinia.
He spent some time in a care home in Sassari last summer following a fall, and is reported to have died at the weekend in Modena, northern Italy, where he was originally from, after his health deteriorated.
In an interview with the Guardian in 2021, Morandi said he was struggling to adapt to life after Budelli. “I became so used to the silence. Now it’s continuous noise,” he said.
Exasperated by consumerism, politics and other aspects of society, Morandi set sail for Polynesia in 1989 in search of his idyll. But his journey was scuppered soon after leaving mainland Italy due to a technical hitch on his catamaran, forcing him to anchor in La Maddalena.
He decided to work for some time on the island to pay off the cost of the boat and fund the rest of the trip. But then, after clapping eyes on the nearby uninhabited Budelli, Morandi realised his paradise was much closer to home.
For years, Morandi guarded Budelli trouble-free, clearing its paths, keeping its beaches pristine and teaching summer day-trippers about its ecosystem.
Tourists, who have been banned from walking on the island’s pink beach since the 1990s, were often surprised to come across its sole inhabitant.
Food was delivered to him by boat from La Maddalena, and a homemade solar system powered his lights, fridge and, in later years, his internet connection. During winter, when there are no visitors, he spent his days collecting firewood, reading and sleeping.
Morandi had more than 70,000 followers across Instagram and Facebook. Followers paid tribute to him. “Ciao Mauro, now you can return to the island that protected you for decades,” wrote one follower.
