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They call him the Robinson Crusoe of Italy and his stay on his desert island has come to an end.
Mauro Morandi, 81, moved to Budelli, in northern Sardinia, in 1989, and stayed there for over 30 years as sole inhabitant of the paradise island.
I lived there peacefully until last year when the owners of Budelli, part of the Magdalena archipelago and famous for its spiaggia rosa (pink beach), they told him they wanted him to leave her, according to the man.
“I leave with the hope that in the future Budelli will be protected because I have protected her for 32 years,” he wrote on Facebook last Sunday.
What brought you there?
The former Modena physical education teacher had always been “a little rebellious,” he told the BBC’s Outlook in 2018.
“I was pretty tired of a lot of things in our society: consumerism and the political situation in Italy“, explain.
“I decided to settle on a desert island in Polynesia, far from any civilization. I wanted to start a new life close to nature,” he said.
Morandi and several like-minded friends bought an old catamarn and remodeled it, but they didn’t have enough money to take the desired path.
So they headed to the archipelago of La Magdalena, where they planned to work and earn money to finance their adventure, he explained.
But while sailing near the beautiful island of Budelli, they decided to stop to visit it and there they met its keeper, who was going to retire in two days.
“Do you think I can take your place?” Morandi told him enthusiastically, according to his outlook.
There he has remained ever since, protect the island and chat with tourists that arrive in summer.
“I found my own Polynesia at my doorstep,” he said.
Budelli was accessible until 1994, but then it became a national park and currently only a small number of tourists can go there for the day, Morandi explained to the BBC show.
In the past, visitors have taken part in the pink sand that characterizes the place intentionally or inadvertently, lamented Morandi, who in these years has tried to make tourists aware of the precious ecosystem of Budelli.
The pink beach is now a protected place.
Threats of eviction
Morandi has faced various threats of deportation over the years.
In 2020, La Magdalena National Park President Fabrizio Fonnesu told US broadcaster CNN that Morandi had made illegal modifications to his cabin, the former headquarters of a WWII radio station.
Attempts to expel him were answered on Change.org with a citizens’ petition to the Italian government be allowed to stay, which has collected over 70,000 signatures.
However, last Sunday, Morandi announced his decision to leave after pressure from the authorities.
“I’ve had enough, I’m leaving,” he said, referring to his battle to stay still.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, the former teacher explained that he would move to a small apartment on a neighboring island of Magdalena: “My life will not change too much, continue to see the sea.”
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