He went 20 days at a time without speaking to another person. Apparently paradise does exist. 
Mauro Morandi arrived on the tiny Italian island of Budelli in 1989 after his boat ran into trouble and washed ashore.
By coincidence, the island’s caretaker was preparing to retire, so Mauro took over the job — and ended up staying for 32 years.
As Budelli’s only permanent resident, he protected its famous pink beach, looked after the environment and taught occasional visitors about the island.
But during the quieter winter months, Mauro sometimes went more than 20 days without seeing another human being.
No neighbours. No traffic. No unexpected visitors. Nobody asking what he wanted to do this weekend.
Instead, he spent his days reading, meditating, making sculptures and sitting on the beach listening to the wind and waves.
Even when Wi-Fi eventually arrived, Mauro mostly used it to share the beauty of the island online — all the benefits of socialising without anybody actually turning up at the house.
After decades of solitude, pressure from authorities eventually led him to leave Budelli in 2021 at the age of 81.
They say no man is an island. Mauro gave it a pretty good 32-year trial run.