Mauro Morandi has been living in solitude on an Italian Island for the past 29 years, and while the 79-year-old has drawn public attention, his life has remained rugged and simplistic since the first day he docked on the Isle of Budelli in Italy's Maddalena archipelago.
It took a failing catamaran to change the trajectory of Morandi's life 28 years ago, National Geographic noted.
Caught in a storm, he steered to the shores of Budelli Island but once there, he learned that the caretaker was retiring, so Morandi decided to fill the newly vacant post.
In a recent interview with CNN, the whimsical elderly man opened up about his life on Budelli.
"The first few years I was very standoffish," he said. "I did not want to communicate with anyone who came to see the pink beach, and I enjoyed all this beauty alone."
However, as the years wore on, Morandi relaxed and began to want to share the beauty of the island with the world.
He began to engage with tourists visiting the island and even opened up Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
"I just get up in front of the sea to take pictures of the sunrise, have breakfast, I feed the two cats and then the hen," he told CNN. "Then I start working on the tablet to process photos, comment and answer questions, given that I have 5,000 Facebook friends."
However, his days in paradise may be limited.
The Italian government has reclaimed jurisdiction of Budelli, which now forms part of La Maddalena National Park, and Morandi's right to remain on this island is now being contested, The Atlantic said.
This decision prompted the launch of a petition on Change.org, which gained the support of over 18,000 supporters, yet Morandi's expulsion from the island could still become a reality.
"The island has been acquired by the state and I am here until the new president of the park decides what to do with me," he told CNN.
Until then Morandi plans to make each day count.
"I am not afraid," he said, according to the Atlas Obscura. "I am used to living in uncertainty."