Through a stroke of luck, Morandi’s arrival on Budelli coincided with the departure of the island’s previous caretaker, who was about to retire. They arranged for the Italian to take his place, allowing him to legally remain there and giving him a sense of purpose, to boot. For the last three decades, he’s been Budelli’s official guardian, maintaining the upkeep of the archipelago and monitoring the shores of La Spiagga Rosa, the island’s most famous pink sand beach which has been cordoned off since the 1990s.

Daytrippers often stop by to explore the island and meet Morandi, who, when he first moved to the island, had no interest in communicating with them.

“The first few years I was very standoffish," Morandi told CNN. "I did not want to communicate with anyone who came to see the pink beach, and I enjoyed all this beauty alone.”

Now when Budelli gets visitors, the modern-day hermit looks forward to engaging with them, giving tours and talks in the summer months.

Ownership of the island has changed hands multiple times over the years, most recently in 2016 when it became a government-owned national park. Wi-Fi has since been installed on Budelli, which has been a boon for lost tourists, as well as Morandi.

He now spends his time photographing the island’s remote and secluded landscape using a smartphone someone brought to him. He shares his snaps on his Instagram account — @maurodabudelli, or, “Mauro of Budelli,” — where he has amassed more than 20,000 followers in three years. He also has Facebook and Twitter accounts, and uses his geolocation to post his photos on Google Maps.