Man lives 31 years alone on deserted island

The phrase "gap-year" is no longer strange when young people spend a period of time putting aside work and study to experience other values ​​from themselves and life. But for Mauro Morandi, the 81-year-old man in the story below, spent 31 years living alone on the island of Budelli in Italy.

It all started in 1989 when Morandi’s boat broke down and landed on the island. At the same time, the caretaker of Budelli Island retired, so Morandi decided to stay and take care of this beautiful island.

Now, after more than 31 years, Mr. Morandi, also known as "Italy's Robinson," decided to leave at the end of April 2021 under years of pressure from the authorities.

In 2016, when Budelli Island was officially recognized as part of the Maddalena National Park, the government decided that Mauro Morandi had no right to live there and asked him to leave. However, 8,000 petitions from nearby residents refused to evict him, so the request to leave was put on hold.

Morandi said, "I want to live here and die here. When I die, I want to be cremated and my ashes will be carried away by the sea breeze." Morandi believes that all life will eventually return to Mother Earth, and humans are part of the energy that nourishes this Earth.

Morandi says he doesn’t like humans, which is why he lives in isolation. However, during tourist seasons in Budelli, he carefully guides visitors on how to protect the plants here and how to preserve the ecology. He always tries to make people understand that the plants here need to live and develop.

IMMORTAL LOVE OF NATURE

Morandi says he is not an ecologist, but he has a good understanding of the flora and fauna over the years. He believes that their good health is largely due to his care and protection. He wants visitors to understand the beauty of the plants "not only with their eyes but also with their inner feelings."

There were times when Morandi would go up to 20 days without communicating with anyone. He found peace from within, spending most of his time sitting on the beach just listening to the waves and the wind. "It's like a prison here, but it's a prison I chose for myself," Morandi said, adding that he has never regretted living here.

He often collects juniper wood, brings it back and carves it into different shapes, then sells it to tourists visiting the island, and the money from the sale is donated to non-governmental organizations in Africa or Tibet.

Morandi often had the habit of taking souvenir photos to record the changes over the years of Budelli Island, reading books and learning the ideas of life of Greek philosophers. Therefore, perhaps his personality and inner life were increasingly formed.

Until Wi-Fi was installed here, Morandi started sharing everything about his beloved land on social media. He wanted to create a connection between people and nature by letting them admire its beauty.

Morandi's favorite time of day is watching the sun set, a moment when he feels light and serene. "We humans always think of ourselves as superior creatures and think we need to be worshipped, while nature is the thing that needs to be cared for and respected," he said.

Although he did not want to, at the end of April, Morandi shared on his personal Facebook page that he would decide to leave after years of pressure from the authorities.

Some information about Budelli Island:

Budelli Island is part of the Maddalena Archipelago National Park, north of Sardinia, Italy. Among the 7 different islands in the park, Budelli is considered the most beautiful with Spiaggia Rosa beach, which has beautiful pink sand beaches. This is the "work" of very small creatures with pink shells (coral) and can only be observed with a microscope.

In October 2013, the island was sold for €2.94 million by a New Zealander after the previous owner went bankrupt. But Budelli Island remains the property and is currently under the management of the Maddalena National Park under Senate rules.

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