Category: Italy

Catholic news site Aleteia provides a summary article “A pilgrimage to the ‘small cells’ of St. Romuald,” including travelogue-style description and photos of the original Casentino, in the Tuscan Apennines. Though Romuald founded a monastery, he is better known for establishing a hermitage about two miles away, the classic form of desert hermit cells.

URL: https://aleteia.org/2021/06/09/a-pilgrimage-to-the-small-cells-of-st-romuald/

The “hermit” of the Sardinian island of Budelli has long been pressured by national park authorities to vacate the island, where he has been the sole inhabitant for over thirty years. But the threat of eviction has finally forced him to admit: “I have given up the fight,” which is the title of this Guardian (UK) update. Morandi says he will leave by the end of April. But he is only moving to another uninhabited island nearby.

URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/26/mauro-morandi-budelli-island-italy-robinson-crusoe

CNN reports on the latest Italian government effort to remove Mauro Morandi from his hermit life on the island of Budelli.

URL: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/budelli-hermit-eviction-morandi/index.html

The South China Morning Post reports on a contemporary Italian hermit: Fausto Mottalini. The article is titled “Self-isolation tips from a 21st century hermit in ‘ghost’ village in the Alps, where for 14 years he has been the only resident.” Excerpt:

Fausto Mottalini, 69, is the only inhabitant of a medieval Alpine “ghost hamlet” called Sostila in northern Italy. He has lived as a hermit for the past 14 years, and feels safe and protected in his little eyrie, even though the deserted village is in Lombardy. In Italy, one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic, Lombardy is the region which has seen the most Covid-19 cases.

Mottalini is a lucky man. As the sole resident of this hamlet, frozen in time, where even weekend tourists are a rare sight, there’s no risk of him bumping into anyone. He’s free to go out for long treks, where he can gaze across green valleys of sun-kissed meadows where cattle graze, framed by snow-capped mountain peaks.

“Things haven’t changed for me,” he says. “I keep doing the same stuff each day: I wake up early, cut wood for the fire, look after the orchard and greenhouse, and then go out hiking and rock climbing, shooting pictures of nature, flowers and the beautiful scenery. I come back at sunset and prepare dinner. I’m free to go out whenever I want.”

CNN Travel provides an update on Mauro Morandi, now 81 years of age, mentioned in this blog several times. The lengthy and useful article is titled: “Italian hermit living alone on an island says self-isolation is the ultimate journey.” Morandi lives on the island of Budelli, near Sardinia, and is the island’s only occupant. Not unexpectedly, his views on solitude in the era of corona virus are solicited. Includes many photos of the island and a 4-minute video featuring Morandi.

URL: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-hermit-coronavirus/