Italian ’Robinson Crusoe’, who spent 32 years in jungle, dies shortly after returning to urban life

Famously known as ‘Robinson Crusoe’ for his solitary life on a secluded Mediterranean island, Budelli, Italian man Mauro Morandi died at the age of 85, CNN reported. Though Morandi lived a secluded life in Budelli for over 30 years, he died three years after returning to civilisation.

After being identified as as the sole resident of Budelli Island, an old World War II shelter off the Italian island of Sardinia, Morandi was nicknamed as ‘Robinson Crusoe’ by the media.

In 1989, while attempting to sail to Polynesia on a mission, Mornadi shipwrecked his catamaran at Budelli Island and stayed as its primary caretaker to escape consumerism and society as a whole.

According to details, Robinson Crusoe is an English adventure novel about its title character, Robinson Kreutznaer, who was shipwrecked and spent 28 years on a deserted tropical island near the coasts of Venezuela and Trinidad. He encountered cannibals, captives, and mutineers during his time on the island before eventually being rescued.

Morandi spent 32 years in Budelli Island, kept the beaches clean and educated day-trippers about the island’s ecosystem. As part of his job as a caretaker, supplies were brought in and he configured a makeshift solar power system and heated his home with a simple fireplace, the CNN report added.

Evicted in 2021:

According to the Guardian, Modtani was evicted from his home on Budelli in 2021 following a lengthy tussle with La Maddalena National Park authorities, who planned to transform the island into a hub for environmental education.

After moving from the island, Morandi moved into a one-bedroom apartment on La Maddalena, which is the largest of the archipelago of seven islands off the north coast of Sardinia.

Later he spent some time in a care home in Sassari last summer and reportedly died at the weekend in Modena, northern Italy, after his health deteriorated.

In 2021 interview with the Guardian, Morandi mentioned he was struggling to adapt to life after Budelli. “I became so used to the silence. Now it’s continuous noise,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.