Mauro Morandi, the man who lived off-grid on a deserted island in the Mediterranean for more than 30 years, has died. The Italian was nicknamed ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by the media after he was identified as the sole resident of Budelli Island, an old World War II hideout off the coast of the Italian island of Sardinia. .
Robinson Crusoe. Most people know the figure from the world-famous story by the English writer Daniel Defoe. But the islander’s life perhaps became even more famous through the television program Expedition Robinson, in which a group of famous people try to survive on an uninhabited island.
The Italian Mauro Morandi also followed that example. He lived for more than thirty years as the sole resident on Budelli Island, near the Italian island of Sardinia. Morandi remained on the island as chief manager shortly after his catamaran shipwrecked in 1989 while attempting to sail to Polynesia. By living like this he wanted, in his own words, to escape the capitalism of civilized society.
Budelli’s previous hermit caretaker was about to retire, so Morandi took the job and lived alone in a coral, granite and shell house on the picturesque island for three decades. But he did more than survive. During his 32 years on the island, he kept the beaches clean and informed day trippers about the island’s ecosystem. Supplies were brought in as part of his job as a property manager, and he configured a makeshift solar energy system and heated his home with a simple fireplace.
New beginning
But in 2021 he had to say goodbye to his humble existence on the island. The Italian authorities wanted to transform the island into a natural park. Morandi was deported and moved back to civilization. He took up residence in La Maddalena, an archipelago off the coast of Sardinia that had been designated a national park. There he lived in a one-bedroom apartment.
-“It’s never really over,” Morandi told CNN in 2021 after leaving his island paradise. “I am living proof that a second, new life is possible. You can always start over, even if you are over 80, because there are other things to experience, a completely different world.”
He was eventually able to get used to that new life. “I am happy and have rediscovered the pleasure of living the good life and enjoying everyday comforts,” he told CNN.
Last summer, Morandi took a fall and was admitted to a nursing home. He later moved to the northern Italian city of Modena, where he was born and worked as a physical education teacher until 1989. His health continued to deteriorate and he died in his hometown last weekend.
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