Would you dare to live on an island alone? Some people might say yes especially when there’s money involved, but another question is what if you will live there for the rest of your life? Would you say yes?
As a human being, we really want to live with our loved one until the last of our lifetime. We don’t ever want to be alone right? But one human proved that it is possible and that man is Mauro Mandi, a 78-year old who lives alone in a largely uninhabited Italian island Budelli for 30 years.
That time Mauro was sailing with his boat but suddenly he found out that his boat is starting to crack and break. The sea water carried Mauro on an island. Where Mauro found himself alone and decided to stay there for good.
Mauro never visualized that he will end up to this point, that he will live alone. But when he arrived at the island in 1989 and found out that the caretaker of that island will retire from his job. He grabbed the opportunity without a doubt.
Since his boat was broke and he has nothing to use to come back to his place, Mauro accepted the fact that he was meant to live in Budelli Island.
Mauro loves the place that he looks at it as a paradise. He's really happy to live there even if he's the only human being living there.
Budelli island is also one of the seven beautiful islands in Maddalena National Park. And It is located between Sardinia and Corsica. That's why Mauro really loves and enjoy living in that place.
Mauro sends his welcome to the tourists who visit the island yearly by waving his hand on every boat that will pass by his house.
Because Mauro is the only human living in Budelli island he told the Geographic that: "I really amazed by the silence of the surrounding, a peaceful winter, being alone in a hard storm, in a beautiful sunset of the summer that passes through my skin."
For once Mauro never felt alone in this island. It becomes his own land because even the animals welcome him to stay there.
But in the year 2016 Mauro living in Budelli island was being challenged by the Italian Government. They want to evict Mauro from living in it and get the island.
But everything seems to be in favor of Mauro because they reached 18, 000 signatures to stop and postpone what the Italian government wants to happen with the Island. Because of that Mauro's feelings became more powerful. He wants to spend his life on Budelli island.
“I will not leave… I wish to dié here, my body to be cremated, and my ashes to be spread into the air.”
Even though there was no other human on that island. No one to talk to and share what he was thinking. Mauro still enjoys living in this place. He is doing some artwork from collected branches of a Juniper tree. And get in touch with the animals along his house.
Mauro spends his time meditating, reading, and he also practices his photography skills.
When some tourists arrived, he also sells his artwork at a reasonable price and donated some of his money to the charity organization in Africa and Tibet.
Mauro collects herbs and plants at the back of his house, Reads in winter, practice Tai-chi at the beach. That is his all day routine.
Mauro was happy when he knew that Internet is planning to bring connection to the island of Budelli. It will bring some adjustment to his life, but still, it was good for him because he will finally show others the beauty of this place.
"If you are in love with someone you will not just love her outside, you will also understand and love him wholehearted. Because for you it looks perfect and beautiful. "
Also "As a human, we also think that we can carry and do anything we want, but the truth of it is we just like only like a tiny ant".
Mauro lived in Budelli island for 30 years. He was so attached to this land. He wants to spend the rest of his life on it. Because for him there was no place liked Budelli island. It is a place of gratefulness and a place of full of beautiful things surroundings