On a sweltering day in July, the sole inhabitant of Budelli, a small Mediterranean island in Italy’s Maddalena archipelago, glances up from his iPad just in time to observe a single wave crashing on the shore. He is Mauro Morandi, the frail, 77-year-old caretaker of this rugged paradise’s wild ecosystem. Aside from weekends and the peak tourist season, when day-trippers peer into Morandi’s ramshackle home, Budelli is silent, but for the lapping of the water, the calling of gulls, and the howling of the strong northwest wind. The winters here are long and brutal; once, Morandi endured a 20-day storm on the island, alone. He almost went mad.
Now, Morandi fears his possible eviction from Budelli, his home of 27 years. Granted the right to reside on and work as a caretaker of the island by its previous, private owners, Morandi’s future became uncertain this past May when the Italian government reclaimed jurisdiction of Budelli. It is now part of La Maddalena National Park, which is contesting Morandi’s right to remain on this one-mile stretch of sand. [...]
“Morandi symbolizes a man, enchanted by the elements, who decides to devote his life to contemplation and custody,” Giuseppe Bonanno, the national park’s president, says. “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.” Bonanno says there are “several legal problems” preventing Morandi from staying on Budelli, such as his diminishing capacity to remain alone on the island and his home’s failure to meet standard safety requirements.
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