The Italian ‘Robinson Crusoe’ who lived alone on an idyllic island for 32 years dies after returning to society

A man known as Italy’s Robinson Crusoe, who lived alone on an idyllic island for 32 years after a shipwreck, has died, Italian media report.

Mauro Morandi, who died on January 3 at the age of 85, lived as a hermit on the island of Budelli near Sardinia for thirty years after washing up on the pink beach of Spiaggia Rosa in 1989 when the engine of his catamaran broke down while sailing to the South Pacific.

The island’s previous caretaker was about to retire when Morandi arrived, so he abandoned his sailing plans, sold his boat and took over the role, putting aside his job as a gym teacher.

His life in solitude earned him the nickname Robinson Crusoe of Italy.

But in 2016, the Italian government made the island part of a national park and tried to oust Morandi to turn the island into a hub for environmental education.

Morandi fought the deportation for five years and was even supported by an online petition signed by thousands of people demanding that the government let Morandi stay.

In 2021, Morandi relented and moved to a small flat with just one bedroom on the nearby island of La Maddalena, where he suddenly had people around, something he said he later cherished.

‘I have given up the fight. After 32 years here, I am very sad to have to leave. They told me they had to work on my house and this time it seems to be real,” he told the Guardian at the time.

He washed up on the island’s pink Spiaggia Rosa beach in 1989 when his catamaran’s engine failed while sailing to the South Pacific.

The hermit was originally from Modena in central Italy, but had spent years guarding Budelli, clearing the paths, sweeping the beaches and teaching day trippers about the environment

‘I’m going to live in the outskirts of the city, so I’ll only go shopping there and the rest of the time I’ll keep to myself. My life won’t change much, I will still see the sea.’

The hermit was originally from Modena in central Italy, but had spent years guarding Budelli, clearing the paths, sweeping the beaches and teaching day trippers about the environment.

Morandi, who had become popular for posting photos and videos of the uninhabited island online, received thousands of signatures on petitions to keep him on the island when the Italian government’s deportation plans were announced.

His role was first threatened when the private company that owned the island went bankrupt and put the island up for sale in 2013.

It was originally going to be sold to New Zealand businessman Michael Harte, who promised to keep Morandi as the island’s manager.

But the Italian government intervened and a Sardinian judge ruled in 2016 that the island should be returned to the public.

The park’s then president, Giuseppe Bonanno, warned Morandi’s age and the quality of his home posed “several legal problems” for him to remain on the island.

Bonanno added at the time: ‘Morandi symbolizes a man, enchanted by the elements, who decides to devote his life to contemplation and tutelage.

Morandi, who had become popular for posting photos and videos of the uninhabited island online, received thousands of signatures on petitions to keep him on the island when the Italian government’s deportation plans were announced.

His role was first threatened when the private company that owned the island went bankrupt and put the island up for sale in 2013.

During the quiet winter months, Morandi spent his time editing his photos and uploading them to his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages

It was originally going to be sold to New Zealand businessman Michael Harte, who promised to keep Morandi as the island’s manager. But the Italian government intervened and a Sardinian judge ruled in 2016 that the island should be returned to the public

‘No one ignores (his) role in representing the historical memory of the place… But it is difficult to find a contractual arrangement for a person in his position.’

During the quiet winter months, Morandi spent his time editing his photos and uploading them to his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages.

“The photos represent my mood and state of mind,” he told MailOnline in 2016.

But while the colder months could be lonely, it attracted more than 1,300 tourists to the island in the summer.