"Thank You for Protecting the Island for 32 Years"… Waves of Condolence for the Death of Modern-Day 'Robinson Crusoe'

Mauro Morandi (85), an Italian who lived alone on a Mediterranean uninhabited island for 32 years and was called a modern-day 'Robinson Crusoe,' has passed away.

According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on the 7th (local time), Morandi's health deteriorated after a fall accident last summer, and he returned to his hometown of Modena in northern Italy. He was recently admitted to a nursing home and died on the 3rd.

In his youth, he was a physical education teacher. In 1989, he attempted to travel the South Pacific on his small boat, but after the boat broke down, he set foot on Budelli Island in the western sea of Italy. Budelli Island, an uninhabited island near the coast of Sardinia, Italy, is famous for its pink sandy beaches.

At that time, Morandi heard that the island caretaker was about to retire, so he gave up his travels and settled on the island. Feeling disillusioned with city life, he chose a life in nature on Budelli Island. Since then, Morandi lived alone on the island for 32 years, maintaining paths and cleaning the beaches. Occasionally, he guided tourists who visited the island, teaching them about the ecosystem. He also shared the island's birds, trees, and ecological environment through social media.

Mauro Morandi during his lifetime. Facebook

While living on the island, Morandi received groceries and daily necessities by boat from nearby La Maddalena Island and used electricity generated by a solar power system he built himself for lighting, refrigerator, and internet connection.

However, his life on the uninhabited island was threatened when the private company owning the island went bankrupt. Eventually, after a dispute over ownership, the La Maddalena Marine National Park, which acquired the island in 2016, decided to turn the island into a place for ecological and environmental education and demanded structural changes to Morandi's residence. They also set a condition that he must leave the island if he did not comply. At one point, a petition campaign opposing Morandi's eviction was launched.

However, exhausted from the long battle, Morandi left Budelli Island in 2021 and moved to a small apartment on La Maddalena Island. At that time, he told the British daily The Guardian in an interview that he was struggling to adapt to his new life after leaving Budelli Island. He said, "I became too accustomed to silence. Now I am tormented by constant noise."

After news of Morandi's death spread, his followers mourned him. Morandi had more than 70,000 followers on social media. One follower said, "Goodbye, Mauro. Now you can return to the island that has protected you for decades."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.