Budelli is an island in the Maddalena archipelago, near the strait of Bonifacio in northern Sardinia, Italy. It is one of the seven islands that comprise Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park.[1] Budelli beach is famous for the color of its sand, which is pink due to the presence of shell fragments of a protozoan, Miniacina miniacea.[2]
Geography
editBudelli is several hundred metres south of the islands of Razzoli and Santa Maria. It has an area of 1.6 square kilometres (0.62 sq mi) and a circumference of 12.3 kilometres (7.6 mi). The highest point is Monte Budello, at 87 metres (285 ft).
History
editIn antiquity, the Romans used the island. More recently, it was the site of some of the filming for Red Desert, released in 1964. For decades, the island had a series of private owners.[3]
Budelli is especially renowned for its Spiaggia Rosa (Pink Beach), on the southeastern shoreline,[4] which owes its colour to microscopic fragments of corals and the tests, or shells, from Miriapora truncata and Miniacina miniacea, and was featured in Antonioni’s 1964 film Il deserto rosso (The Red Desert). Budelli was one of four uninhabited islands in the Maddalena archipelago—the others being Caprera, Spargi and Razzoli. However, from 1989 to 2021, the island had a permanent caretaker, Mauro Morandi, who took over from a married couple.[5]
Rules imposed as of the 1990s by La Maddalena NP have not allowed tourists to walk on the pink beach or swim in the sea; however, day trips by boat, as well as walking along a path behind the beach, were permitted.
In October 2013, the island was to be sold for €2.94 million to New Zealand businessman Michael Harte after the bankruptcy of the previous owner. Harte intended to protect the island's ecosystem.[6] The government protested, and after a three year court battle, a judge in Sardinia[7] reverted the island to the state, with the national park planning to use it for environmental education.
Inhabitants
editThe sole former occupant of the island, Mauro Morandi (1939–2025), lived there from 1989 until his eviction in April 2021.[8][9]To explain why he could not be allowed to live on the island indefinitely, the park's president said in 2016: "[He] symbolizes a man enchanted by the elements who decides to devote his life to contemplation and custody ... No one ignores his role in representing the historical memory of the place … But it's hard to find a contractual arrangement for a person in his position."[10] Morandi died in January 2025 at the age of 85.[11][12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Khan, Gulnaz, Meet the Man Who Has Lived Alone on This Island for 28 Years, National Geographic, archived from the original on July 26, 2017, retrieved 2017-11-21
- ^ "Spiaggia Rosa" (in Italian). 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ "Meet the 79-year-old man who lives alone on an Italian island". CNN. 21 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Meet a man who has lived alone on an island for 31 years
- ^ After 30 Years, an Island and Its Sole Inhabitant Face an Uncertain Future -- Mauro Morandi watched tourism, technology, and climate change reshape his home. Now, he fears he won’t see its restoration. Archived 2018-03-13 at the Wayback Machine, Vittoria Traverso, Atlas Obscura/ Slate.com, 2018-03-12
- ^ "Kiwi's Mediterranean island purchase 'no flight of fancy'". The New Zealand Herald. 3 October 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ "When an Island's Lone Caretaker Leaves". The Atlantic. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Angela Giuffrida (15 July 2020). "'Italy's Robinson Crusoe' despairs as eviction from island paradise looms". The Guardian.
- ^ Giuffrida, Angela (2021-08-03). "'Now it's continuous noise': Italy's Crusoe adjusts to life off his island". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- ^ When an Island’s Lone Caretaker Leaves
- ^ Giuffrida, Angela (2025-01-07). "Hermit guardian of Budelli dies after three decades on paradise island". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ^ Povoledo, Elisabetta (January 12, 2025). "Mauro Morandi, 85, Italy's Robinson Crusoe, and Only Resident of Budelli". The New York Times. Vol. 174, no. 60397. p. A25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
External links
edit
41°16′57″N 9°21′0″E / 41.28250°N 9.35000°E
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